It is mid October and the last day of our trip to Northern Portugal. We spent a few wonderful days in Porto followed by a another few in the Duoro wine region, where we had lot of great food and wine. This morning we drive from our fantastic house in Santa Marinho do Zezere back to Porto. For the final day, I have booked a special restaurant: Casa De Cha Da Boa Nova. A famous 2 Michelin star restaurant: we are in for a lunch in Porto to remember.
I have been going to Seattle regularly for work for over seven years, however I had still not taken the chance to combine a work trip with a trip to Olympic National Park. Until now….I have to be in Seattle in the middle of July, the perfect time to extend my stay and make it out to the Olympic Peninsula for 3 days in magical Olympic. Olympic National Park has it all: a glacier, a rain forest, waterfalls, mountains, lakes and a beautiful rocky coastline.
Bruges is one of Europe’s historical gems and only a 2 ½ hours drive from where I grew up and yet I had never been. I read a lot about it; I watched several movies that were filmed there, but somehow, I never made it there. But finally, this year, the stars align when my friend Michelle has to go to Europe for work around the same time I am visiting mom in the Netherlands for her birthday. The perfect occasion to plan a weekend to explore this city together. So, on Friday at the end of May, Michelle is taking the train from Luxembourg, and I am driving to Bruges, where beer and chocolate awaits.
Seema and I decided at the spur of the moment to go on a little road trip. We wanted to hike, go winetasting and have good food. After some research, we picked Mendocino as our destination. Only a couple of hours up the coast from the Bay area, we had both not been there. It was also an opportunity to visit the wineries of the Anderson Valley. So, on a sunny Monday morning in February, we were on our way for a hiking for wine Mendocino Road Trip.
2023 brought so many good things. It felt that life was finally back to normal with covid a dark memory from the past. Travel, parties, concerts, sports events were all back like “before”. It was another year that has created memories that will last a lifetime.
However, it was also a hard year, both professionally and personally. Although I love my job and the people I work with, the long days and some of the challenges started taking their toll. Personally, I also dealt with challenges. The hardest was mom having to move out of the place she lived in for 23 years, and into assisted living. Although it was better for her, it did not make it easier. Then for months I had to deal with getting red puffed-up eyes and an itchy face. Through an allergy test I finally discovered that I have a lemon/lime allergy. As you can imagine, not easy for somebody who loves anything lemon and lime. Also, it is not easy when eating out, as I came to realize that almost all dishes have lemon or lime. However, with everything going on in the world, I need to put things in perspective, and in the end, I know I came out stronger.
It was lovely to have Lisa, Erwin and Livy visiting in February. This was their first time returning to California after they moved back to the Netherlands. In May I had a wonderful ten days when Majdi, Kajli and Jamie came to stay with me, including a great weekend in Marin. Then in August, Joris and Joge came for a long weekend as part of their West Coast vacation. We went to a 49ers football game, hiked for wine and watched the San Jose Gay Parade.
Of course, as I do every year, I visited New York to spend time with Andrea, Tony, Miss B and Nola. In April we had a great time playing tourist, taking a boat tour around Manhattan, and walking around Central Park. I also got to watch Briony’s baseball games. And back in December for another visit, to enjoy magical New York City in all its Christmas glory – Rockefeller Center with the famous Christmas tree, the windows at Saks 5th avenue and Macy’s and all the other festive decorations.
I visited the Netherlands in May and October, and in addition to spending a lot of time with mom, I also had time to meet up with friends for walks, talks, coffee, dinner and drinks. A special treat was to hold 1 week old Noor and a wonderful day in the Efteling.
I am so glad we can enjoy live events again. We had two awesome girls’ nights. The first one, “Abbamania”, in May, an Abba tribute concert in the Fox theatre in Redwood City. Then a fun Barbie movie night in November in Bina’s backyard. In August, Vidya, Rocky, Amit and I had a fun night, watching the Gipsy Kings in the beautiful Mountain Winery. And we attended two legendary concerts: Ed Sheeran in September with Vanessa, Seema and Liane in a record sold out Levis Stadium – 81,000 people. Queen and Adam Lambert in November with Steve, Goody and the boys during their Rhapsody Tour stop in Chase Center. We saw them in 2014 and crazy as it may sound, they were even better this time.
During my visit home in May, we had a fun Sunday afternoon watching PSV. Lieke managed to get us tickets to the business club through work, a first time for me watching it there. The 49ers are having their most successful season in a long time. After the pre-season opener against the Raiders, we saw them win the first home game against the NY Giants. Then we saw them destroy the Dallas Cowboys in October and again Tampa Bay in November. On to the playoffs in January! Go Niners!!!
We hiked almost every weekend this year, sometimes both Saturday and Sunday, training for Tour the Mont Blanc. Black mountain, Mission Peak, Monument Peak, Sunol Ridge, we conquered them all and had a lot of fun doing it (most of the time).
There were lot of business trips to Seattle this year with some fun dinners with my team and coworkers. In March, Michelle and I attended the California Conference for Women and listened to amazing keynote speakers. Very motivating and inspiring. Business also took me to Disneyland for meetings. They took us on a private tour through the park. This included a visit to the flat on Main Street above the Fire house, where Walt and his wife used to live when in California. Disneyland really can be magical! Movember got us back at the golf course for a good cause. I am grateful to work with and get to know amazing existing and new coworkers in Amazon this year. Several of them will remain friends, no matter what.
And of course, there were many trips again this year because travel is a core part of my life. Vanessa and I kicked it off in January with a long weekend in Palm Springs. Watching the first 49ers play-off game in a bar, hiking for food and wine and shopping. In February, we went back to Yosemite with a big group to snowshoe. There is nothing more beautiful than Yosemite in winter, although it would have been better without the snowstorm.
More hiking and great dinners in June in Vancouver, a city that had been on my list for a while and did not disappoint. On the contrary, it was a delightful mix of great outdoors and great food. Reason to go back for sure.
In July, the O’Keeffes and I rented a house in Moncarapaco, Portugal. We spent several days on the water and at the beach and had wonderful food. I really enjoyed the quieter side of the Algarve.
Mandi and I had to change our Labor Day plans after the horrible fires destroyed Lahaina in August and Maui became a no travel zone. So instead, we booked a last minute trip to San Diego. It turned out to be a great weekend, rediscovering all the great places and food San Diego has to offer. The highlight of the weekend was a dolphin trip on a small raft that resulted in us being surrounded by hundreds of these fun and playful animals.
In November, Vanessa, Tammy, Maureen and I had a great weekend in Paso, sampling too much wine, eating too much food and having too much fun. Thanksgiving was a friendsgiving trip to Murphys, California with the Winstons, the O’Keeffes, the Dattas and Tammy. Hanging out eating, drinking, playing games and karaoke.
And then there was our unforgettable hiking adventure. We booked a trip to hike part of the Tour de Mont Blanc trail from Courmayeur, Italy, through Switzerland to Chamonix, France. Six friends, seven days, seventy miles and a million memories. We were lucky: except for one rainy afternoon, it was perfect hiking weather. It is a humbling experience to walk along the majestic peaks of the Alps and it helped put a lot of things in perspective for me, that is driving some of my decisions for the future. Too many stories and memories to write down here, but they can all be found in the blog.
Of course, this year was full of dinners and parties: Easter at the O’Keeffe’s, Mother’s Day in Veldhoven, a fun night in SF watching the Book of Mormon. We celebrated Cate’s 18th and 4th of July.
There were multiple Crandall circle happy hours and impromptu get-togethers.
And the year would not be complete without the traditional “Ugly Christmas Sweater and White elephant party” that brought 45 people to the house for a night of fun, food and laughter.
For the first time in many years, a framily Christmas in California.
So here we are at the end of December. Another year is coming to an end and what better way to reflect about the past year, than sitting at a beach in Maui, watching the waves roll in with the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. 2023 was a year of transition, change and closure. I decided to take a three month leave from work starting Dec 18. This will give me the opportunity to figure out how to shape the next chapter of my life. 2024 will be a new start, new beginnings and new adventures. The California Conference for Women was the day my friend Michelle and I started to be serious about exploring an idea we are both passionate about and had been talking about for a while. I am filled with excitement and energy to embark on this next journey and see where it leads us.
“You are never too old to start over. Every day is a chance to create the life we want.” – Karon Waddell.
In January, six of us decided to hike the famous Tour de Mont Blanc trail in the Alpes. After research and discussions with Alpine Exploratory, our travel agent, we decided to only hike the northern section. Seven days, around seventy miles, from Courmayeur in Italy to Chamonix in France. August 5 was our seventh day of hiking TMB: Flegere to Chamonix. 11 miles, 2,362 feet elevation.
In January, six of us decided to hike the famous Tour de Mont Blanc trail in the Alpes. After research and discussions with Alpine Exploratory, our travel agent, we decided to only hike the northern section. Seven days, around seventy miles, from Courmayeur in Italy to Chamonix in France. August 3 was our fifth day of hiking TMB: Trient to Argentiere. 9.9 miles, 3,740 feet elevation.
In January, six of us decided to hike the famous Tour de Mont Blanc trail in the Alpes. After research and discussions with Alpine Exploratory, our travel agent, we decided to only hike the northern section. Seven days, around seventy miles, from Courmayeur in Italy to Chamonix in France. August 1 was our third day of hiking TMB: La Fouly to Champex. 9 miles, 1,940 feet elevation.
After a good night sleep and breakfast buffet, we decide to leave as soon as possible as there is rain in the forecast that afternoon. Ideally, we want to try to get to our hotel before the rain starts. When we leave the hotel, rain clouds are already hanging low over the mountains, and it threatens to rain. In order not to get caught, we decide to put on rain gear and cover our packs with the rain protectors.
We walk through the still quiet village until we reach the little TMB sign. We cross a bridge over the river and make a turn onto a broad gravel lane that follows the river. The sky is getting lighter and so far, the rain stays away. Soon we enter a trail that leads into the woods. We pass meadows, bridges and a rocky gully with chains to guide us, before we reach La Kabana, a little coffee and snack shack. Tammy and Seema decide to stop for coffee. Although tempted, the rest of us decide to continue, in anticipation of the rain. However, we do stop for a picture of our backpacks, taken by a friendly fellow hiker. Later, when we look at the picture, we realize he took a selfie of him and his friend as well. We have to admit, it’s funny.
We pass through the village of Praz de Fort. Across the river, we walk past more houses and several, what looks like deserted barns. When looking it up, we learn that those will be filled with wood in the winter. On the first day we had determined that Maureen’s mountain animal is an ibex. I take a picture of a little pony, brown with blond mane and tail and decide that that is my mountain animal. We cross another bridge and enter the town of Issert. We are hungry. So, we stop at Cafe du chatelet and order ham and cheese sandwiches to go. We eat them sitting on the side of the road, and all agree, these are the best ham and cheese baguettes ever. And guess who walk by when we are eating: our cheeky photographer and his friend. We tell them it was kind of genius.
Energized from the delicious sandwich, we start the final stretch to Champex. This is also the part with the most incline, 1,500 feet in roughly 3 miles. The weather has turned nice, so rain jackets no longer needed. To distract us, the route card tells us to look for delightful sculptures along the way. The trail starts steep and turns into a number of zig-zags. We find several sculptures and it does help. We take a break at a picnic area with views over the valley below.
The path continues back up, before we finally arrive in Champex Lac. It is still early, and the weather has turned nice, so we agree we deserve a drink at the lake side Mimi’s lounge. Sipping on Aperol Spritz with views of the lake, I realize, that life does not get much better than this.
When we booked our trip, hotels in Champex and Champex Lac were booked, so we have a hotel in Orsieres and we have to take the bus down. Hotel Terminus is good and the location, next to the bus station is great. However, next time I would definitely prefer to stay in Champex Lax. We do have a fantastic dinner in the hotel restaurant, Le Quai de L’ours. After the not great dinner in Elena, the better buffet in La Fouly last night, this is a step up. After this meal, we are in a food coma and ready for a good night sleep as the trail is waiting for us again tomorrow.
All photo credit: Liane Aihara, Mariel van Tatenhove, Mauren O'Gorman, Seema O'Dwyer, Tammy Bacca, Vanessa O'Keeffe
In January, six of us decided to hike the famous Tour de Mont Blanc trail in the Alpes. After research and discussions with Alpine Exploratory, our travel agent, we decided to only hike the northern section. Seven days, around seventy miles, from Courmayeur in Italy to Chamonix in France. July 31 was our second day of hiking TMB: Elena to La Fouly. 8.5 miles, 3,180 feet elevation.
After not much than an hour sleep, due to creaking beds and snoring people in our dorm room, I get up at 6. Grabbing a cup of tea, we go outside to soak in the views until breakfast is ready at 7. I am happy putting on my hiking boots and day pack and leave Rifugio Elena behind.
The path behind Elena starts with a steep uphill. 1.5 miles and 1,570 feet elevation is not an easy start of the day. Without any warm-up and heavy legs from yesterday’s 14 miles it is tough going. The path twists and turns its way to the top. It’s another clear day and the views over the valley and Glacier de Pre de Bar are stunning again. The path becomes rocky, and it feels more like bouldering than walking. A group of guys on bikes passes us, some biking, some walking. I climb the rocky part with one of them. We encourage each other that “we are almost there”. However, what we thought was the top, is not the top and we have one more steep part, before the path levels out. Finally, after another half mile along the slope, we reach Grand Col Ferret.
On one side we can see all the way down the Aosta Valley, the other side has beautiful views over the Swiss Val Ferret valley. We say goodbye to our biker friends and start our descent. It is so cool; we just crossed the border between Italy and Switzerland and are walking into Switzerland. The trail weaves through a beautiful wide valley. After a while, we decide to take a break for a snack. Sitting down on the side of the trail, I take in the views and think how special it is to hike along these beautiful, majestic mountains. We continue on and we stumble upon a filed full of cows. We stop to watch and to listen to the fun sound of their bells.
Soon after we reach the farm and Refuge La Peule. We stop for refreshments, before continuing our way downhill.
The reason we did not stop long at La Peule, is because we plan to have lunch at Chalet Col de Fenetre, another 2.6 miles. One thing we realize, we did not need all the snacks we brought. There are places to eat with great food all along the trail. Our timing is great as after hiking for a little over an hour, we reach the Chalet just before 1PM, perfect for lunch. We find a table outside in the garden. As today is a short day and we only have just over a mile to go, almost flat, we decide it is time for a glass of wine. The food is typical Swiss, loads of Swiss cheese. I order a Croque Madame, one of my favorite dishes. However, even for me, it’s too much cheese and too heavy. After a leisurely lunch, we continue our route to La Fouly.
La Fouly is a small town and our hotel, Auberge des Glacier, is one of the first buildings we see. No more dorm room tonight, we have two rooms, one with two beds and one with four. After collecting our luggage, we decide to do some laundry in our room first. We are not the only one, as when we go down to hang our clothes, the lines are already pretty full. After a nice warm shower, we go down to the bar for pre-dinner drinks. Dinner is included with our reservation and it they have a nice buffet. One of the Israeli guys is also at dinner. We learn that his nephew was brought to the hospital in Courmayeur as the blisters were infected. He is not able to continue the hike. Shame, as Vanessa would say.
All photo credit: Liane Aihara, Mariel van Tatenhove, Mauren O'Gorman, Seema O'Dwyer, Tammy Bacca, Vanessa O'Keeffe
