Henson Cove B&B

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

ATL Atlanta surprised me in a good way; now that I am living here, I am discovering a new side of the city that makes it an interesting and colorful place to live. It might be easier to break my experiences up in segments so I will try and stick to this modification in the future. Atlanta is a very diverse place, and while it may offer the usual Southern hospitality, it is also a beacon for change as well as a Southern Hub for corporate America.

I will say that the six lane highways can be daunting at first, and that this is not a place I would recommend visiting if you don't have a GPS. Once you have mastered the highways Atlanta can be a beautiful city with plenty to do, and for all my fellow Floridians there are actually seasons here, so check the weather first! This winter it actually snowed!

Currently the blossoms, tulips and other colorful spring time flora can be seen in front of every business. Emory University is one such institution, and its signature Marble walls offer students an academic environment worth its private tuition.

Activities

Stone Mountain
If you live in Atlanta I would recommend getting a seasonal pass, as paying for parking each visit can add up. I love going for walks during the good weather around the lakes and hiking up the mountain. Its great outdoor exercise and you can take it at your leisure. During the winter you can go tubing down an icy slide as a family or in your single tube. I love looking at the mountain face with Jackson, Leigh, and Jefferson Davis all proudly looking ahead, a tribute to the South. You can learn more about the monolith at the small museum at the entrance to the walking trail up the mountain. For those that prefer just to take in the scenery there is always the cable cart, but it is closed during windy weather. http://www.stonemountainpark.com/default.aspx





Carter Center

The Carter Center was about 6$ to get into and gave me insight into Georgia’s home town Peanut Farmer Jimmy Carter. I personally was inspired by his humanitarian work and his breakthrough at Camp David. http://www.cartercenter.org/index.html

World of Coca-Cola

Get a picture with Dr. Pemberton outside the famous World of Coca-Cola and take a tour and sample flavored sodas from around the world. I enjoyed it, and if you have kids they will enjoy meeting the polar bear. It’s not the most exciting tour but one of those must sees in Atlanta. http://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/

Atlanta Zoo

Pandas! Need I say more, and I was lucky enough to be here when you could watch the Panda cubs on the webcam on the zoo’s website. Fun day trip and the otters are really cute. http://www.zooatlanta.org/

Georgia Aquarium

Georgia had a right to be proud of its aquarium. The shark tunnel, amazing cafeteria and WeekiWatchi Mermaids made it a wonderful place to visit in the holidays. The cafeteria was amazing, maybe I was just hungry but the food was delicious. The Beluga Wales and Wale Sharks were among my favorites, and the video I got of the piranhas munching on a fish was a horrific site, and I now understand why it is the title of a horror movie. http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/

CNN Tour

The CNN Tour was brief, do not buy anything to eat or drink prior because you will have to throw it away. Also you should use the bathroom prior as you cannot go on the tour. There are also a lot of stairs so if you have a problem walking down lots of stairs I would recommend skipping it. We were not prewarned and poor mum and I struggled to keep up with the tour.

Olympic Park

The park is great to walk around in, and during Christmas especially because there is a big Christmas Tree and small skating rink. This has been one of my favourite things to do in Atlanta, very romantic although you may get blisters so bring thick socks!

Turner Field Braves Game

Wear sunscreen! Braves games are a lot of fun; for all Florida fans try to ignore the Chic-Fil-A cow signaling the FSU chant. Reasonabely priced seats can be found for the upper levels behind home plate ranging from about $10 to $15. It's a great way to see the city; as a marketing person I think it's kind of neat how the bussinesses who sponsor the Braves are mostly corporate giants which made their start in Georgia.

(Delta, Home Depot, Chic-Fil-A)

Fox Theatre

The Fox Theatre is beautiful; I saw Beauty and the Beast there and it was the perfect theatre for the performance. It has an Arabian theme and an antique grandeur not frequently found today. Tickets can be expensive so book early. http://www.foxtheatre.org/heatre.org/

High Museum of Art
Take your allergy medication! I enjoyed the High; especially the marble statues located one level above the entrance. I got an allergy attack as soon as I arrived so may not have appreciated all it had to offer. We did get in free so I cannot complain...residents get in free on select days so plan your visit.





http://www.high.org/



Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

Callanwolde is a historical building just of off Briarcliff Rd, today it is used for art classes. I wouldn't recommend visiting but if you end up driving past you may want to stop by for a quick look.

Little 5 Points
Little 5 points is a great small arsty community. If you are into the strange and bohemian way of life than continue down Briarcliff to this little community. The stores are wacky and the beer is good. Front Page News is located at the end of the community, yet another exampled of great food in Atlanta. Enjoy the patio and take in the scene.

Freedom Park

Freedom Park is a great place for dog owners. The area is so big and people are really dedicated to keeping it dog friendly...so scoop the poop. It is a wonderfull place to walk around in and there is even a bike trail.

Food

International Farmers Market

The International Food Market was a lot bigger than I expected, it was a giant store with a meat, fish vegetable, bakery and other common sections. I can’t say all the fish caught my eye but the fresh produce, bread and gourmet cheeses took my fancy. I also bought a tub of Hibiscus Tea and it was absolutely delicious for those who enjoy Starbuck’s Passion Tea. Bring cash or a debit card as credit is not expensive and with the size of the store you will most likely end up spending a little more than you planned on.

http://www.dekalbfarmersmarket.com/

Restaurants

Atlanta has the usual chains, but for food lovers like me who love poking in new little spots, this is the perfect city to do so in. I have rarely been disappointed with the food here, and perhaps am being a bit to spoiled. I would like to direct you to a company called ScoutMob which offers 50% off coupons for signing up, and you simply show your text message. http://scoutmob.com/atlanta/past_deals

Here are just some of the restaurants I recommend:

Hob Knob

The best fried goat cheese salad and orange flavoured beer I have ever had! Great atmosphere and many many beers to choose from.

http://www.hobnobatlanta.com/

The Laughing Skull, also a comedy club!

http://www.vortexcomedy.com/

Fun atmosphere and loads of good fried food. One of the most reccomended places in Atlanta for first-timers.

The Sun Dial

A complete rotating view of Atlanta, pricey but great for visitors to see the city from above while enjoying a drink.
http://www.sundialrestaurant.com/

Day and Weekend Trips From Atlanta

Helen Georgia

Helen Georgia is a Bavarian Town about an hour and a half away from Atlanta. We actually camped at a place called Jenny’s Creek for 20$ a night about 15 minutes away. Having just been to Germany I found it rather novel, but definitely a tourist trap if ever there was one. However if you are in the mood for some beer, live music and an escape from the city this a fun little weekend trip to take. I would also recommend stopping in at the glass blowing store just to take a look at the owner in action as he bends glass into custom names. I personally ate at the Heidelberg Restaurant, and typical to a German diet everything had meat on it, including the salad, so vegetarians beware!

Beware however for those of you who stay in Cleveland, that it is a dry county, and after walking around the Ingles about four time we couldn’t understand why there was no beer or wine to be found anywhere! During the summer there is tubing nearby, and you can spend the day floating down the river. I definitely will be going back for the tubing, the upcoming beer festival and some mountain air. There are also great barbeque places to be found for those of you who enjoy pulled pork sandwiches.

Ana Ruby Falls is a short distance away and definitely worth a look. I was happy that the main path was shadowed underneath trees, but the incline was heavy on my calves after hiking around all weekend. On the way home we stopped at the BabyLand General Hospital. For those of you who were as confused as I was, it is not a really hospital but an adoption centre for Cabbage Patch Kids. I didn’t take the tour, but read up on it after our visit, and Xavier Robert and his famous babies certainly have come a long way since he first came up with the idea of customer sculpted material babies with Birth Certificates. Being marketing major I do salute his simple idea which certainly created a worldwide obsession in the 80’s and 90’s.
Click here for more info

Callaway Gardens

Callaway Gardens is just west of Atlanta it’s also about an hour or so drive depending on traffic. You can rent boats, bikes, go golfing or fishing. Parking was free when we went, but renting bikes was expensive, and the bikes were too hard to peddle. Bring your own bike or rent the more expensive bikes, trust me it’ll make your day far more pleasurable. There is a buttery garden, and this was free too, but this may have been due to the fact that a bird had somehow made its way inside….and alas the butterfly population had greatly diminished. It is the perfect place to set up a picnic and walk around the grounds. I want to rent a boat next time if anyone wants to come visit for a day or two !

Click here for more info

Amicalola Falls, West Ridge Staircase

Ready to train Rocky style....you will need all of your strenght to climb to the top of this waterfall. I made it! (But you bet the theme song was playing in my head the whole way up)

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg was a random two day trip for me. I would recommend staying at the Juta hostel, it was clean and like a minimal hotel . We used a five person train ticket, which saved us quite a bit, from Regensburg. Our "hotel" looked over the Hohensalzburg Fortress or Castle and it was surely the best view Ive ever had at any hotel. The furniture was modern, and the shower doors never steamed up. Walking up the hill to see the castle was quite tedious, especially when we discovered we were going the wrong way. However we ended up at a very picturesque Abby so it may well have been worth the charlie horses we both surely had that evening.



The view from above was magnificent and the tour , although through an electronic device, was interesting. Lovely town to walk around in, although good luck finding authentic residents as this town seems to exist purely for tourists. Our one baught meal ,after an eveing of rain and trying to find the Statue of Mozart, was delicious. It consisted of turkey schnitzel with mushrooms and a white sauce. It really is like a little movie town, and there are many churches to visit and ceilings to marvel over.




Take note of the many dome and the unique architecture The catacombs was a quick but eary walk for a couple Euro. We missed Mozart's house due to time, but the local buses are easy to use and we made it around town quite effectively. We did squeeze in a visit to Helbrunn. The palace gardens were beautiful, as if from a fairy tale, swans, unicorn statues and all. The Trick Fountain experience would be great for kids, but as we went on a cold day and wern't prepared to get wet, it was rather unenjoyable. I got to see the sound of Music Pavilion, and although you cannot get inside it is a great photo op for movie lovers. You can find Mozart's favourite chocolate everywhere and while they are good with their pistachios layer, perhaps buying one to try at the hostel is the best way to go about tasting them.

Budapest. Hungary

Budapest was a unique experience. It was different from Rome or Paris. It had its touristy air of course, but it brought a unique cultural experience to the table. If you are a fan of history than this historical city may mean somewhat more to you. Coming from the US and South Africa, Communism is not something I have readily come across. The majority of Hungarians actually believe that infrastructure was better when communism was around.

Remains of its political history can be seen in Monument Park, a small Park quite a ways out of town. I personally did not take the tour but it may be a good idea as the park is small and the statues had little wait with my naive understanding. A site I do recommend is the Fisherman's Bastion, it is a world heritage site and if you want to see a fairytale turret, this is the place to do it. The palace and the turrets overlook the Danube and Parliament and its unique architecture are plainly visible and make for the best photo ops.

The Big Market is very touristy but the place to by souvenirs. The best place I had Goulash was in an Irish Pub, and it was a treat that warmed the group greatly after the bitter cold. Which reminds me don't forget to bring your metro card, they do check and a friend of mine got fined. The Turkish Style baths were also a unique experience, these healing baths are world famous. I recommend the Szechenyi baths as the outside pool is beautiful. As most of you know, Buda and Pest were in fact two small towns at one point and are joined by the river and a number of small bridges. I was surprised at the number of American style coffee shops and around every corner there is a wedding dress shop. This is a little confusing and I have yet to find the answer. The food was all rich and delicious and being a vegetarian I didn't feel hindered. The felafel's hole in the wall shop near the main train station is a great place to get cheap delicious food and I stopped there often. The Bascillica is one of the most impressive I've seen, and there is even a real hand on display for those will some extra Florint.

Budapest was not excessively cheap when I went, except for the transportation, but the food was reasonable and you can get around without paying for to many attractions. I didn't check out the Botero exhibit but it prpbably would be worth while to look at if you have time, and watch out for those steep escalators! All in all I would recommend about three to four days in the city.

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Paris, France

Paris is rumored to be a beautiful city. I must have somehow missed that part...
The weather was lousy and the subway doors are like guillotines ready to slice an old man clean from his back pack. I was saved from the jaws of death by one of my strong travel buddies.

I made it to level two of the Eiffel Tower and I recommend taking the stairs if you want to get a great workout. If you can, take in the Tower at night as it is stunning lit up, I recommend a bottle of wine, a blanket or jacket to sit on and a good buddy or two.

St Chapelle is a gorgeous old chapel renouned for its stained glass. But be forewarned there is security, and I was almost arrested for having a pair of tweezers in my purse, the security guard was not amused as I motioned to my eyebrows.

Be prepared to wait for everything as well as pay for everything. There is only one way up the Notre Dame bell tower, and it consists of many winding steps...grab a Nutella banana crepe to regain sustenance post climb. Also be aware of the creepy man in a mask sent to entertain and harass the crowd.

Le Louvre is very crowded, but perhaps my favourite site in Paris. If you like art, it really is amazing.

Versailles was very crowded and hot, I have taken French classes for years and was excited to finally see the magnificent palace, perhaps my excitement enhanced my expectations. But the crowd and and irritating electronic information brick disappointed me.

Everything was covered in construction, the Arc de Triumph was covered in a cardboard like cover, but the no lane roundabout was rather impressive as no one crashed. I did enjoy Paris and it is still a tourist must see. I wish I had more time to spend there.The cheese is very good and reasonably priced, this rumor is true!

Internet Malfunction

Unfortunately getting access to internet in Europe was harder than I thought it would be.
In a general overview after Regensburg we visited Salzburg Austria, Vallendar Germany, Cologne, Paris France, Rotterdam Holland, Amsterdam, Berlin and I ended the trip alone in Paderborn with a good friend I had met in Australia.

I have decided to handle the blog a little differently and focus on cities rather than days.