Sleepy Hollow

Two weeks ago I posted about visiting Walden Pond in Concord Massachusetts.  A visit to Concord would not be complete without at stop at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.  When I visited in the mid 90's, it was a chilly and damp fall day, perfect weather for a walking around the rolling hills of this historic place.  The cemetery was dedicated in 1855 by Ralph Waldo Emerson who was buried there some 10 years after it's dedication.

There many well known people buried in this place like Louisa May Alcott and other members of her family.

And of course the Thoreau family graves can be found here.  Nathaniel Hawthorne is also buried in this famous cemetery.  Wandering around the hills of this place on a gloomy fall day its easy to see how this place inspired tales of the supernatural.

Holiday Shopping, London Style

I've been to London two or three times in late November so I've had an opportunity to see the city decked out with holiday lights and decoration.  Since it's so close to Christmas I thought I'd make this post all about shopping at Harrod's, that iconic London shopping experience.  Everything about Harrods's is over-the-top from the huge building covered in lights and taking up an entire city block, to the elaborate displays in every department to the sky-high prices that are attached to every item for sale.

The most crowded part of the store during the holiday season is the famous food halls.  That's where you'll find all those gift boxes of exotic candies, cookies, nuts and fruits.   There are also jams and jellies and teas and coffee too, and oh so much more.

This lady has been doing some serious shopping.  She has quite a lot of shopping bags at her feet and many of them are the famous green bags of Harrod's.  I think she's managed to drop quite a lot of money in this store already.

The only thing I usually buy in this store is a little something from the souvenir shop.  That's where you can buy all sorts of items with the Harrods logo on them.

In fact, I've managed to acquire quite a collection of Harrod's shopping totes over the many years that I've traveled to that wonderful city.

I think this one was the first one I ever bought which makes it 30 years old!  Yikes!

A little holiday shopping in the world's most famous store seems like a perfect way to spend the evening after a long day of sightseeing.  

And, you don't have to spend a fortune to come home with a little treat for yourself and your friends and family.  

Walden Pond

A quick weekend trip to the east coast back in the late 90's gave me an opportunity to see some of our eastern most states.  The friend I traveled with was a huge fan of Henry David Thoreau and she put Walden Pond on her list of places to visit.  We calculated our route so we would pass through Concord Massachusetts so we could make a stop at the pond.  We somehow missed the cabin but, we could revel in Thoreau's descriptions of the pond as we walked along the shore.

We didn't see as many fall colors on this trip as we wanted but, walking around the pond gave us an opportunity to see plenty of them on the ground around the area.

Charming and Quaint

Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay has been described as charming and quaint by almost every tour book I've read and once you step into the village it's easy to see why.  The beautiful tree lined streets frame a peaceful environment filled with colonial architecture.

Very much like Cuba, Colonia is one of those places that had a booming economy at one time and when it slipped away, residents held on to their luxury cars passing them down from one generation to the next.

You will see some classic cars along the streets in every direction and if the car is beyond restoration, it just get put to another purpose altogether.

Colonia del Sacramento is a one and a half hour ferry ride from Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plata making it a perfect get-away from that busy city.

The cobblestone streets are lined with museums and galleries and the occasional souvenir shop.

And, there are plenty of colorful places to eat and drink while you enjoy the history that surrounds you.  It is the perfect day trip when visiting Buenos Aires.