Drinking from the Chocolate River

Posted on May 26, 2012 by kleeyaro

TEDDY’s RATING:

Attention Chocoholics: This is your nirvana. It’s the French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville, North Carolina. Now, they have a lot of things to enjoy here, but my favorite is the sinfully delicious liquid chocolate truffle.

Who hasn’t dreamed of taking a drink from Willy Wonka’s chocolate river? Well, I certainly have. And when I put my lips to a mug of liquid chocolate truffle, my dream comes true. This is the smoothest, richest, thickest, creamiest, most decadent drink on the planet. Matched only by a similar liquid chocolate drink I tried in Anchorage, Alaska at the Modern Dweller’s Chocolate Lounge.

But since Asheville is much closer to my home in Florida, I’m able to drink from the chocolate river at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge much more often. As a matter of fact, I imbibed twice on my most recent visit to Asheville earlier this month. (By the way, the French Broad is the river that runs near Asheville.)

I could go on and on about the liquid truffle, but I must mention that the French Broad Chocolate Lounge also has coffee, desserts, brownies, cookies, cakes and so much more. It’s a casual hangout downtown patronized by the likes of actress Andie MacDowell. (She lives in the area.) I’m not sure what she likes to eat or drink there. Maybe she likes the liquid truffle too. You can get it in different flavors like plain dark, plain milk, with different spices like cinnamon, cardamom, even lavender and honey…am I gushing about it again? Sorry.

If you find the place a bit crowded, you’ll know why. It’s because everything there is fabulous. And if you can’t find a table, venture upstairs where they have lots of extra room. And if you come on a day when they’ve got live music, sit down and enjoy a liquid truffle…okay, you can try something else if you like!

Dates of Visit:  May 2009, May 2012

http://frenchbroadchocolates.com

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com

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Getting away from it all at Abner’s Cabin

Posted on May 19, 2012 by kleeyaro

TEDDY’s RATING: 

If you’re looking for somewhere to get away from it all on your next trip to the Asheville, North Carolina area, Abner’s Cabin is a nice little place to stay.

This quaint, cozy cabin was built in the 1920s by Abner Gwaltney. At the time, it was only a one bedroom cabin with no running water and an outhouse. It may still be rustic on the outside, but inside, after renovations, there are two bedrooms, a full kitchen (with running water), a living room and yes, a full bathroom.

      

Even though Abner’s Cabin is off the beaten path, tucked away in the quiet hills near Weaverville, North Carolina, it’s still very close to all there is to see and do in the Asheville area. And less than a 10 minute drive to downtown Asheville. So, it’s a great central location for your Western North Carolina vacation.

      

There are a few things about Abner’s Cabin that kept it from getting a higher rating from Teddy. The cabin had been closed up for some months, so it smelled a bit musty. Even airing it out for a while didn’t help much. When we first arrived, there was static on the phone line and the internet didn’t work. (An internet connection is listed in the amenities section on their web page.) There are limited electrical outlets in each room. There are some minor repairs that need to be done on the interior: the ceiling is cracked in one of the bedrooms, the bathroom tiles and linoleum are discolored and the front screen door is coming apart which let in a lot of bugs.

On the positive side — the landscaping around the property is very nice. One of the beds has a pillow top mattress, so it was very comfortable. And the owners, who are very friendly, provide some food in the fridge (milk, eggs, cereal, coffee) in case you arrive too late to do any shopping. The owners have also stocked the cabin with plenty of brochures about the area and easy to read maps. And Abner’s Cabin is very affordable. We shopped around and you couldn’t get a two bedroom cabin of this size for the price. It was less than $100 a day (plus tax) if you stay  seven nights. And there are no extra fees, unless you bring a pet.

Overall, our stay was pleasant. I think I might look at some other places in the area for our next visit, but Abner’s Cabin was still very comfortable.

Dates of Visit: May 3-10, 2012

http://www.vrbo.com/144742

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com

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Scampi’s – A Hometown Italian Eatery

Posted on May 12, 2012 by kleeyaro

TEDDY’s RATING: 

I always like to try out small, family-owned, hometown restaurants and not always patronize the big chains. Scampi’s Italian Eatery is a small, hometown restaurant near where I live. So, we like to go there every so often for Italian food.

I’ve read some very mixed reviews online about Scampi’s. Some people absolutely love the place, others have rated it only one star because of the service. We had a nice time when we went. The service was good, although we were there early on a Sunday evening and there were no other customers. Other reviewers have stated that they were turned away at the door, even though they arrived well before the 10pm posted closing time.

Scampi’s has a very extensive menu. They have everything: pizzas, calzones, all types of pastas and sauces, hot and cold sandwiches, salads, soups, chicken, veal and seafood. The menu is almost too large. But it is all freshly cooked to order.

I had the Chicken Marsala. The sauce was very light in both flavor and consistency.  The portions are quite large. I had enough leftover for at least one more meal. The small calzone is a very good size as well. Other members of our party had lasagna and spaghetti with sausage. The lasagna was very good, but the sausage was rather bland. Dinners come with a side salad and garlic knots. We were too full to enjoy dessert, but they do offer tiramisu, bread pudding and cheesecake.

Scampi’s does have a web address. The site is not really up and running yet, but you can access their menu on it.

Dates of Visit:  April 29, 2012

http://www.scampiscf.com/

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com

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Fort Clinch – Still Standing Guard

Posted on May 6, 2012 by kleeyaro

TEDDY’s RATING: 

Fort Clinch is a brick fortress on the northernmost tip of Amelia Island, Florida. It was built to guard the mouth of the St. Mary’s River and to protect the port of Fernandina Beach where goods were shipped into the area.

It was named after General Duncan Lamont Clinch, a soldier who fought in the First and Second Seminole Wars. Construction of the pentagon-shaped fort began in 1847, at the end of the Second Seminole War. Progress was slow going. In 1860, only a portion of the walls were complete and some of the buildings. No cannons were in position.

Though Fort Clinch was a haven for Confederate soldiers during the first year of the Civil War, in 1862 it became the Union’s base of operations in the Florida-Georgia area for the remainder of the war.

Construction was nearly completed in 1867, just about the time the fort was deactivated. Advancements in weaponry made the fort obsolete.

       

The State of Florida bought the site, which is now Fort Clinch State Park, and restoration on the fort took place in the 1930s. The fort opened to the public in 1938, closing only during the years of World War II when it was used as a communications and security post.

       

It was fun wandering around the grounds and investigating the buildings and inner walls of the fort. It was very quiet that day. Hardly any visitors were there, so it was a bit eerie. But the way everything is set up — inside the buildings, the beds, tables, supplies — you could almost travel back in time and experience what the soldiers experienced who were stationed at Fort Clinch.

       

If you would like to get a more accurate picture of life at the fort, or if you’re a Civil War history buff, visit Fort Clinch on the first weekend of the month where “living historians” recreate life at the fort. Soldiers perform marching drills, artillery demonstrations, and civilians cook, do laundry, make candles and perform other activities of daily life at the fort.

        

Dates of Visit:  January 2012

www.floridastateparks.org/fortclinch/ 

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com

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The London Eye Through the Camera’s Eye

Posted on April 28, 2012 by kleeyaro

TEDDY’s RATING: 

On a visit to London in 2005, I had the opportunity to take a ride on the London Eye. It’s quite an amazing structure and offers a fabulous view of the city of London.

     

      

This giant Ferris Wheel was built on the South Bank of the River Thames in 1999. At that time, it was the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world, standing 443 feet tall. It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, welcoming 3.5 million visitors each year.

        

There are 32 air-conditioned oval passenger capsules around the wheel, each holding 25 people. The wheel rotates at 10 inches per second, or about 0.6 of a mile per hour. One revolution takes about 30 minutes. It rotates slowly enough for passengers to walk on and off without it having to stop.

      

      

The London Eye has had many names over the years: The Millennium Wheel, the British Airways London Eye, the Merlin Entertainment London Eye, and now the EDF Energy London Eye.

Dates of Visit:  May 2005

http://www.londoneye.com/

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com

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Horseback Riding in North Carolina

Posted on April 21, 2012 by kleeyaro

TEDDY’s RATING: 

I hadn’t really been horseback riding for a while, maybe 15 years or more, but I had been wanting to try it again. What better place than in the rolling hills of North Carolina, outside of Asheville, at Sandy Bottom Trail Rides.

This family owned business is just north of Asheville, North Carolina, near Marshall. They offer 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour and 4 hour scenic trail rides, the longest ones stopping at their 200 year old Little Pine Garnet Gem Mine where you can explore the mine and keep any gems you may find.

We took the one hour ride, since we hadn’t been on horses in a long time. I wasn’t sure how much we could endure. Horseback riding can be very tiring and sometimes painful if you haven’t done it a lot.

Based on your horsemanship, or lack of it, they pair you with a horse that matches your abilities. Our horses were Lady and Ginger, both very calm. Our guide was named Hank and there were 5 people in our group.

Some online reviews of Sandy Bottom complained that on the longer rides you rode for the same amount of time as the shorter rides and spent more time at the Gem Mine, not really riding for 3 or 4 hours. So, if you’re looking for more “horse time” then maybe Sandy Bottom isn’t right for you.

One hour was plenty of time for me. I was happy with the peaceful ride through the countryside. The landscape was beautiful and we had wonderful weather that day, just perfect.

I also like the fact that Sandy Bottom is very flexible and accommodating for all skill levels and age ranges. You don’t have to feel intimidated or afraid of the animals.

If you prefer not to ride on horseback, but would still like to enjoy the panoramic views, you can take a horse-drawn buggy or wagon ride.

2012 per person pricing is as follows:

Horseback rides:
1 hour: $40
2 hour: $70
3 hour: $90
However, Sandy Bottom is running a special for this spring/summer with $5 off the above rates.

Buggy/wagon rides:
1 hour: $40
2 hour: $70
3 hour: $90

Dates of Visit:  May 2008

http://www.sandybottomtrailrides.net/

If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com

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Tops in Topiaries

Posted on April 14, 2012 by kleeyaro

TEDDY’s RATING: 

Every year I love to go to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. 2012 marks the 19th year of the festival and I think I’ve been going since the beginning. Though there are many facets of the festival that I like, I think the marvelous topiaries are at the top of my list.

This year’s show features over 100 topiaries, 75 of which are Disney characters. This is the largest collection of Disney character topiaries in the world (of course it is, it’s at Walt Disney World) Now, I didn’t count all of them, so we’ll have to take Disney’s word for it. Here are just a few:

                    

                   

                  

There is always a brand new showcase topiary display at the park’s entrance. This year it’s Fantasia. This scene is actually made up of 28 topiaries including three ostriches, two hippos, eight mushrooms and of course Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Disney topiary specialists created this display with both new materials and recycled pieces from past years.

                  

The topiaries are made up of many different plant materials including grasses, mosses, lichens, ficus, air plants, palm fibers and various flowers like begonias and impatiens.

                

               

              

The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival runs March 7th through May 20th and is included in your park admission.

Dates of Visit:  March 2012

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/special-events/epcot-international-flower-and-garden-festival/

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Our History is our Future at the Kennedy Space Center (Part 2)

Posted on April 7, 2012 by kleeyaro

TEDDY’s RATING: 

Your admission to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex includes a bus tour stopping at the Launch Pad 39 observation gantry and the Apollo Saturn V Center.  But if you would like a more extensive tour, take the Close-Up Tour. It’s an extra $25.00, but worth it.  And it is especially worth it from now until the summer of 2012, because this tour includes an inside view of the Vehicle Assembly Building.

The Vehicle Assembly Building was constructed in the 1960s to build and house the enormous Saturn V rockets.  For the last 30 years, the VAB was used to prep the shuttle orbiters for flight.  Until you’re inside, it’s hard to tell how massive this building is.  It’s 525 feet tall and covers 8 acres.  You could fit almost four Empire State Buildings inside the VAB.

I was extra excited to see inside the VAB because the actual Shuttle Orbiter Discovery was inside being prepped for its journey to Virginia where it will be exhibited at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.  It looked pretty ragged, but what can you expect when it is the oldest of the surviving orbiters and the world’s most flown space craft – 39 missions and over 365 days in space.  Wow!

Atlantis will remain at Kennedy Space Center and Endeavor will be housed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

The regular tour includes a look at the launch platforms, but the Close-Up Tour indeed gets you much closer to Launch Pad 39A and 39B.  These pads were used to launch the huge Saturn V rockets, including Apollo 11, which took Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon.  This platform was also used to launch all the space shuttles.

The final stop on this tour is the Apollo/Saturn V Center.  This huge 363 foot long building houses an actual Saturn V rocket.  This area focuses mainly on the Apollo moon missions.  The astronaut’s suits, equipment and actual moon rocks are on display.

And if that’s not enough for you, your admission to Kennedy Space Center also includes entrance to the Astronaut Hall of Fame (6 miles West of the Visitor Complex.) Here you can see the largest collection of personal astronaut memorabilia and try a G-force simulator along with other hands-on exhibits.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Kenney Space Center and Americans in Orbit.  In February of 1962, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.  And later that year, the Launch Operations Center was renamed the John F. Kennedy Space Center.

I encourage you to celebrate the history and the future of space travel at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

      

Dates of Visit:  December 2009, October 2011, March 2012

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/

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Our History is our Future at the Kennedy Space Center (Part 1)

Posted on April 2, 2012 by kleeyaro

TEDDY’s RATING: 

I once read a review of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex that said, “Don’t go there.  Everything is old.”  What???  How ignorant is that!  Of course everything is old.  These things are a part of history.  That’s like saying, don’t ever go to a museum because everything there is old.  Sometimes I don’t know what people are thinking.

Kennedy Space Center is very much worth seeing.  And even if you don’t aspire to be an astronaut, astronomer, or rocket scientist, you can still learn a lot and have a great time there.

Since there is so much to see and do at the Kennedy Space Center, I’m going to split this post into two parts.  This first one is about the main Visitor Complex itself and part two will be about the Close-Up tour.

Start off by following the historical path of space exploration through the Rocket Garden and into the Early Space Exploration building.  There you can see the actual Mercury Mission control panels, Neil Armstrong’s space suit and other space artifacts.

In 9th grade I had to write a paper on what I wanted to be when I grew up.  At that time, I wanted to be an astronaut. I loved the idea of other planets, other beings, discovering what’s out there. Of course, when I realized that you needed to like math and have perfect vision, that astronaut dream was out.  And now, after seeing how tiny those spacecraft are, I don’t think I would have handled the enclosed spaces.  If only it were like the USS Enterprise on Star Trek.  They had tons of room to move around!

There are two IMAX 3-D theatres at the center featuring movies about the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station.  Both are quite extraordinary.  Seeing a shuttle launch in IMAX 3-D is almost as good as being there and you definitely get to see it extremely close up.

Of the billions of people on the Earth, only about 500 have actually been in space.  At the Astronaut Encounter, you can meet and talk to one of those lucky few.  You can even have lunch with an astronaut (for an extra charge.)

And speaking of charges, I have to say that the food prices at the Kennedy Space Center are a bit steep.  There are only a couple of dining choices, Orbit Café and G-Force Grill in the main visitor area and Moon Rock Café at the Apollo/Saturn V Center.  It’s pretty much fast food type stuff, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, salads, sandwiches and chicken strips.  The food is good, but a bit expensive.

Make sure you don’t eat before trying out the Shuttle Launch Experience.  You’re strapped into a space shuttle simulator and “blasted off” into space.  They say this is what the shuttle astronauts felt each time they were launched into space.  It sure feels realistic.

In addition to all that, there’s an astronaut memorial, NASA art gallery, Hubble telescope images gallery, Robot Scouts exhibit and the Exploration Space building where you can learn how to become part of the future of space exploration.

And there’s more to come at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.  They have begun construction on the 65,000 square foot Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit to be opened the summer of 2013.  It promises to be quite an amazing exhibit, featuring the actual Space Shuttle Atlantis as its centerpiece.  I’m really looking forward to that.

       

Dates of Visit:  December 2009, October 2011, March 2012

http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/

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A Yank’s Tour of the BBC

Posted on March 25, 2012 by kleeyaro

In 2005, for my 40th birthday, we took a trip to London. In addition to all the other great stuff to see and do in London, we were anxious to see if we could get a tour of the BBC. At the time, I had a great fondness for British TV and watched quite a few shows, but not as many as I do now. I guess now it’s an obsession. (See my other blog:  http://ilovebritishtv.com/.) We found out that, yes, the BBC does offer tours of their facility. So, we booked one.

The BBC Television Centre is located very close to the White City tube stop in West London. It was opened in June of 1960 and is considered one of the most recognizable TV facilities in the world. It’s been featured in the background of countless British TV shows, including Monty Python’s Flying Circus, which was shot inside the studios.

I wasn’t able to take any photographs inside, so I just have a few of the outside. Unfortunately, you can’t see the unique shape of the building from the ground. It’s actually shaped like a Question Mark. Supposedly, the building’s architect drew a question mark on a piece of paper thinking that it would be a perfect shape for the site.

Our tour started at 10:45am. Our tour guides were Debbie and Ollie. They were very entertaining and very knowledgeable. There was a lot of walking involved, up and down lots of stairs, down long hallways. The facility is huge. Being in the TV business, I had a lot of questions to ask. Basically, they do things the same way they do here. Freelance production personnel are sometimes hired for shows.

The tour included the newsroom where BBC World News is broadcast and two studios, seen from up above through the lighting grid. Top of the Pops was schedule to be taped later that day to air that night. The crew was setting up the stages and prepping for the shoot. Dr. Who, Fawlty Towers and Absolutely Fabulous are among the many programs taped or filmed in the studios.

They had a silly little weather center demonstration with a blue screen. Several members of our tour stood in front of it and played weatherman.

We saw the dressing rooms and heard some stories about celebrities that had stayed there. Unfortunately, I don’t really remember what stories they told us, but I do remember they were about a lot of the “divas” that would come to perform. They would have outlandish requests for things. Not unlike the “only green M&Ms” rumors you hear about rock stars.

Then there was a wacky quiz program that the tour was involved in. I was forced to be a contestant. They showed clips of shows and we had to answer questions about them. No knowledge of the show was needed. Just an observant eye. What color was Nigel’s shirt in that scene? Stuff like that. I won. My prizes, a BBC coffee cup and pen. Woo hoo!

From what I’ve read, the tour is pretty much the same today.  But they’ve added some props and memorabilia from BBC shows, including the Tardis from Dr. Who.   If you’ve never seen a TV studio before, it’s kind of fun to see behind the scenes and learn about some of your favorite TV shows. There are also opportunities to be a part of the studio audience during a show taping.   I would recommend the BBC Studio Tour, if you’re ever in London.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/tours/

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