Inyaka

Now that we have touched on some English tea, let’s move on over to something a little bit more adventurous and something with a twist – for that is the name of the restaurant, Twist.  Twist is actually one restaurant that is for the true foodies, for it combines some beautiful food with molecular science, which is very popular right now.

Pierre Gagnaire is the chef and I can tell you for sure that he is definitely out for an adventure with his food.  All of his dishes certainly do have some beautiful touches but they do not look normal – in the least.

Take this beautiful dish here, it is actually a Napoleon Sable that you can get at Twist – try it, it’s good!

Washington, D.C. is another great place to go for Easter, although it might not be the first spot that comes to mind.

But think about it: the White House’s annual Easter Egg Roll is tons of fun — if, of course, you can get tickets. They are limited, but you can get them courtesy of the National Park Service, beginning on the Monday before the Easter holiday.

Don’t worry if you can’t manage the tickets though. There are plenty of other things to do.

After all, the Smithsonian is still free, and the museums therein provide some terrific fun, not to mention learning experiences.

Although it is not quite the end of February, Easter will be here before you know it, so now is definitely the time to start booking your flights, train tickets, and hotel reservations.

One great place to visit this Easter, or simply this spring in general, is Boston. Natives to New England like to say that spring, like autumn, lasts all of ten minutes, but they may well be the most beautiful ten minutes in the world. Goodness knows that Boston definitely blossoms in spring time.

It is a great vacation idea for a number of other reasons as well. For one thing, the historic significance is a big draw, especially during family vacations. Not to mention, this is a great time to go on a whale watch.

If you are paying attention to your calendar, you know that Fat Tuesday is just about four or five weeks away and if you are looking to plan a trip out to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, you might want to hold off on it and check out National Geographic Traveler.

Typically, Mardi Gras has always taken place right in the French Quarter, however this year – it is a different story.  The awesome celebration is actually going to be taken place in the neighborhoods of New Orleans, so that all of the people that live there can truly take advantage of the Mardi Gras celebration.

New Orleans is a unique and different place – and one that everyone should visit in their lifetime at least once.

In light of the spirit of the last few posts, I have to decided to chronicle some of the hottest, most haunted vacation spots located all around the world, for those holiday makers with a more adventurous, macabre bent.

First off, we have St. Francisville, Louisiana, which is hope of the Myrtles Plantation.

It is absolutely steeped in haunted romanticism, evocative of the old South, which is filled with many ghosts.

The plantation in particular houses many of them, such as General David Bradford, also known as “Whiskey Dave.” In building his home, he did so right atop a burial ground for the Tunica Indians.

A follow up involves what may be one of the earliest recordings of Munchausen’s-by-proxy: a slave girl paid back her owner for cutting off her ear by baking a birthday cake laced with oleander for one of his daughters.

In a state where ghosts and hauntings run rampant, the Myrtles Plantation is one of the richest examples.

When you think about it, what is the best place in the world to be when it is Halloween?  Well – a haunted house, if you can’t be in a haunted house specifically, what about a haunted B&B?  That is my thought and in the last post, we explored on of the top B&B’s that is haunted and now, we are going to tale a look at another one nestled in Valparaiso, IN!

The Inn at Aberdeen is actually the Inn that is featured in the book Haunted Hoosier trails.  There are so many different ghosts tucked away in this one – this one inn, it truly is amazing.  Guests have reported seeing a little girl ghost that has been known to mess with the guest’s stuff.  This little girl ghost also has been known to turn on the fireplace in their rooms.

The Indiana ghost trackers investigated this particular inn and reported that the original owners died with her two children.  Imagine – a haunted inn on Halloween, what could be better?

By far – Halloween is the best time to go on vacation.  Not only is this particular holiday fun but the landscape of where you go is awesome.  Now – check this out, did you know that there are actually haunted places … hotels, bed and breakfasts and even particular rooms that you can go stay in?  Well, there are and we are going to explore a couple of them.  The first is Strawberry Creek Inn B&B.

This particular B&B is has gone through many, many different incarnations.  From a restaurant all the way to a home for troubled boys and now – it is a bed and breakfast.  A local clairvoyant actually spotted six different spirits in this house and honestly, it is scary!  Guests have reported everything from a freezing cold room all the way to a little spirit girl asking if the guest was her mommy.

Pictures have flown off of the walls and sometimes doors are held shut – all of this happens and if it is something you are into, that might – might be a great place for you to stay!

When you talk about Detroit, what is usually the first thing that pops into your head?  With me – it is home.  However, the automotive industry is actually the first thing that usually comes to mind whenever Detroit is mentioned.  However, the great thing about Detroit is that it is full of traditions and if you are looking for somewhere to go on Labor Day – you should take a trip down to Detroit for the International Jazz Festival!

This four-day event actually kicks off on September 4th and goes all the way for four straight days!  The Jazz Fest attracts all sorts of jazz musicians who take turns providing all sorts of free entertainment on five different stages.  Giant – huge puppets, street performers and even a children’s Bop Area is just a few of the added pleasures in Detroit for the Jazz Fest!

Already booked are over 100 events and if you want an experience like never before … Detroit is the place to be this Labor Day!