Lake Okoboji

 

In this blog post I will talk about a venue I visit each year, it’s one of my favorite places I have visited.  Lake Okoboji is a lake in Iowa, only about 5 hours away from Cedar Rapids.  The lake is surrounded by resorts and large houses.  The resort I stay at each year is called Village West.  We stay in a cabin very close to the beach for one week a year, the cabin is an A-frame, it has two bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, and dining room.  The cabin is a little small for our five person family, so one week of being in close quarters makes us all happy to be home in separate roomsJ.

Village west also contains a hotel as well as over 50 cabins.  In the hotel there is an indoor pool, small movie theatre, arcade, mini golf, small gym, a gift shop, and two diners.  The indoor pool includes a 5 foot deep pool, a children's pool (2 feet deep) and a Jacuzzi available to those twelve and over.  The staff at Village West hides a small star somewhere in the hotel, or on the grounds, and every morning a clue about where the star is hidden is posted on the front of the recreation desk. Out of the two restaurants in Village West's hotel, Betsy's Diner is my favorite. It is an old-fashioned diner with checkered floors and neon lights with an ice cream bar.  Sadly this year the diner was closed because school had already started in Okoboji and there wasn't anyone to run the diner.  The game room has a pool table, arcade games, two ping pong tables, and an air hockey table.  As part of the fun at Village West a schedule of activities are available each week, one of which is a ping pong tournament.  I have never participated in the tournament but have several competitions with my family.
The mini golf courses have deteriorated over the years, a lot of the obstacles have disappeared or have been destroyed in the inside course, but the outside course remains intact.  The recreation desk provides puts for free and a machine right by the desk allows you to buy colored golf balls for twenty-five cents a piece.  

The lake is very clear and a great place to fish, a boat house resides by the lake where jet skis, and paddle boats can be rented by the hour.  My favorite activity is tubing, where you tie a inflatable tube (different then the donut-shaped tubes you float around in) to a boat, and you hold on for as long as you can without being flipped off.  Long term effects of tubing includes rug burn on knees and elbows, sore arms, possible broken ribs.  Okoboji Lake is fairly large so many boats are able to ski, tube, or knee board any time of day.
One thing you must do at least once on your trip is to get up at 6 and watch the sunrise from the dock, it's very beautiful and will be a perfect memory of your stay.

Okoboji is a great vacation for families, not too expensive, and only a short 5 hour drive away

-Enjoy where you are for however long you’re there, Samantha

Lake Como, Italy

 

Lake Como is territory first inhabited by the Romans, Julius Caesar populated the town with 5,000 inhabitants and named it Larius. Throughout time Lake Como has been subjected to several invasions from multiple countries jealous of Como's prosperity and economy. The most famous and widely read novel in Italian literature is The Betrothed, written by Alessandro Manzoni in 1825 when the Lake was under Austrian control.  The book is set in Lecco, Italy (town around Lake Como), when the Spanish ruled very oppressively (1535-1713).  In 1859 Lake Como joined the Kingdom of Italy after Giuseppe Garibaldi defeated the Austrians at the battle of San Fermo.
Como has become very famous for its textile and silk industry in the 19th century, followed by furniture manufacture and design. Each town in Lake Como, although they experience a large influx of tourists each year, maintains their "small-town" feeling.
Every year on the last Saturday in June the festival of San Giovanni is celebrated at Lake Como.  The week leading up to the celebration is filled with events, to start, on Sunday there is a torch-light procession along the water. Monday through Friday is filled with various sporting events such as a bicycle road race, rowing, swimming, bowls, darts, cards games, and gymkhana. On Sunday all citizens attend church in the morning, followed by an evening of wining and dining with dancing, all culminating in a spectacular fireworks display.
Lake Como is a very beautiful and culturally-rich location that is sure to engage and enrapture any traveler.
-Enjoy where you are for as long as you’re there, Samantha 

Giverny, France

 

On the borders of Normandy in France lies a small village, the birthplace of impressionism, Giverny.  Claude Monet used to visit Giverny periodically as a country retreat, and it is here that he developed impressionism.  Monet noticed the village through a train window and decided to buy a house and land to set up a spectacular garden for him to paint.  Giverny had a population of 301 in 1883 when Monet discovered it, but has now experienced a boom in tourism due to the restoration of Monet’s house and gardens.

Another venue that showcases impressionist art is the American Museum in Giverny.  The museum was originally dedicated to American Art, but now provides the impressionists art from all around France and America, and links the pieces/movement with other art movements.  The museum also contains a bar/restaurant to stop in before or after your visit to the museum.

Monet’s grave and a World War II memorial are features of the Giverny Church.  Although the inside of the Giverny church is plain and simple, dating back many centuries, the stained glass windows are fairly modern.  The outside features a World War II graveyard where seven British airmen are buried after being killed near Giverny in 1944.  Monet and his family are also buried there in the midst of a large, beautiful garden.

Another interesting venue to travel to is the Natural Mechanical Museum, a collection of steam internal combustion engines founded in 1955.  Donations and purchased vintage engines have been collected, especially in 1982 when several workshops, factories, and mills closed.  The engines have been persevered as best as possible, allowing tourists to see the earlier development of engines.

Giverny can be accessed fairly easy and cheaply by car, train, or bus as only a short trip from Paris.  You can even rent a bicycle from a café outside the  Vernon train station, (signs indicate it for you), and the rental fee is around 12 Euros with the bike ride only being about 4 miles long until Giverny. 

A very affordable and unique place to stay is the Forest Farm, in Vernon just 4km north of Giverny.  This bed and breakfast stemmed from an old farm with a main farmhouse and several independent buildings, bordered by a 40 acre private forest, allowing guests to admire nature.  The price for a double room with breakfast is 60 Euros, tax included.

As the birthplace of Impressionism, Giverny cannot disappoint those who have an admiration for nature and beauty.

-Enjoy where you are for however long you’re there, Samantha

Lofoten Islands in Norway

For one of this week’s blog posts I am blogging about Norway, a country that although isn’t very warm, contains a lot of beauty and nature.  One of the exciting features Norway offers is a stay in their rorbu cabins. Rorbu cabins are lake cabins that used were originally built for fishermen when they would stay for months at a time, fishing in Norway, but have now been converted to housing accommodations for travelers.  Waking up in the morning to see the mountains as a backdrop to a beautiful, clear lake is something you can’t find in Iowa. 

For me, the most enticing feature Norway offers is the breath-taking view of the northern lights. Although there is not a specified time to see the northern lights, you have a good chance of seeing them the twenty-first of September to the twenty-first of March.  You have to be patient when trying to observe the lights, because the times you are most likely to see them is 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. so be willing to stay up late! 

Getting around the islands in Norway is relatively easy, a ferry boat, decently priced, makes several trips to the islands multiple times each day so you can fully enjoy the extent of what Norway has to offer!

The island of Store Molla is great for hiking and cycling if you are the outdoorsy type.  Fishing is also excellent in Norway, especially the Arctic cod.  The world championship in cod fishing is held in Norway due to the impressive size of the Arctic cod, so while visiting Norway you just might see a record set!

The Lofotr Viking Museum is a fascinating attraction, held in a recreation of the largest house ever found from the Viking age (the original built in 500 A.D.).   While at the museum you can stay for dinner, (for a small fee), and eat some wild boar and lamb accompanied by a traditional Viking drink mead, (for those 21 and older).  Along with a traditional Viking dinner, a recreation of life in the Viking age is provided for your enjoyment.

The Reine Rorbuer is an excellent place to stay at the Lofoten Islands in Norway; they feature Rorbu cabins and excellent views (the picture at the top).  Staying in their Rorbu cabins for one week from October twenty-first to October twenty-eighth only costs two hundred and ten dollars; you’ll probably pay more for traveling to Norway than actually staying there!

Norway is beautiful and peaceful, and although it doesn’t have the warmest climate (high of 55 degree Fahrenheit right now), you can enjoy the culture and nature it provides for free. 
-Enjoy where you are for however long you're there, Samantha

Bora Bora "island paradise"

With a permanent population of 8,800, and an area of 143 miles, Bora Bora is a major international tourist destination famous for its luxury resorts.  Few know the meaning of its unusual name, which is derived from the Tahitian language as Pora Pora meaning First Born. When the Europeans discovered the island in 1770 they misunderstood the inhabitants mistaking Pora Pora for Bora Bora, and the name remained. In 1888 the french annexed the island, forcing the last queen of Bora Bora, Teriimaevarua III, to abdicate.  In World War II Bora Bora became a South Pacific military supply base for the United States, known as "Operation Bobcat", fortunately the island was never subjected to combat.  Today tourism almost exclusively drives their economy, as several resorts are built surrounding the lagoon.  Many of the resorts feature over-the-water bungalows on stilts, an innovation inspired by the first bungalows who featured it 30 years ago. 18 hotels are stationed in Bora Bora, and according to tripadvisor, the Four Seasons is ranked #1.  Popular activities are snorkeling, spa treatments, jetskiing, swimming with sharks, and parasailing. For a solo 7 night stay at the Four Seasons in Bora Bora through May 20-27th, in their least expensive suite, a superior beach-view over-water bungalow suite, the cost is 9,324.74. Not factoring in travel costs, and the expenses once you arrive, (of course I'm going to shop), the price is sufficient.  This also doesn't include the fact that it is the price for a solo stay, (Little awkward to me staying in a resort known for its romantic appeal), and considering this you might want to wait so you can save up and take someone with you.  Good reviews accentuated the spacious houses, excellent service, great breakfast buffet, view, and water excursions.  Some of the not so proficient reviews complained that because Bora Bora is far from the main island, Tahiti, where a lot of the attractions and shopping are located, the price to travel there is substantial.  Complaints also centered on the many additional costs, (such as the $100 buffets), and the poor service, yet only 7 out of the 603 reviews had something to complain about.  Bora Bora emerged from the sea 3 million years ago as a volcanic island, slowly but consistently sinking. The islands main volcano, (inactive today), Mount Otemanu is 727 meters high, and stands with the legendary Mount Pahia.  The practice of tattooing existed in the Polynesian triangle for centuries, the name originating from the Tahitian word tatau, translated as "hitting repeatedly." The practice was unknown to Europeans until Thomas Cook, (European who first explored the island), discovered it on his first voyage to Tahiti, in his diary he wrote, "they print signs on people's body and call this tattow".  Tattoo art is very prominent in Tahitian culture considering that there is no writing in the Polynesian culture, tattoos were used to identify your status in a hierarchical society, differentiating family clans. Tattoos were also used in rites of passage to the adult life for teenagers, (about 12 years old), who would present their tattoos as proof of their learning accomplishments, before they were allowed to enter into the adults' clan. The philosophy of the islands people is one of my personal favorites, 'hakuna matata', and for a fun fact, (sidetracking) the word for morning in the Tahitian language is poipoi, pronounced as poy-poy which sounds an awful lot like the word the minions in Despicable Me called unicorn!  Main languages spoken i Bora Bora are French and Tahitian, (although English is spoken in several markets, tourist locations, and resorts).  Bora Bora is a beautiful, culturally rich place, known all over the world as "island paradise".
-Enjoy where you are for however long you're there, Samantha

What the world has to offer

In my blog I will explore the world one post at a time. Looking specifically at places I would someday love to visit, each location will include information on the unique characteristics and culture of the venue. As I mentioned, I will explore places I want to visit someday, such as Paris, Milan, Venice, and Barcelona, but also the parts of the world that aren't as popular, but just as enticing.  Travel has always been something I've wished to pursue, but up until now I've been out of the country once, when I went on a cruise to Mexico with my family.  I've also been very interested in the medicine field, so hopefully I can combine medicine and travel by participating in mission trips around the world after I graduate from medical school. Other interests of mine include cheerleading (high school level), violin, and reading. I have two younger brothers who encourage me (unknowingly) to travel, and I'm a junior in high school, (only 11 more years of school until I can travel)! That's an overview of my life and travel-themed blog, and with two posts a week I hope I can inspire someone to visit at least one of these venues!
-Enjoy where you are for however long you're there, Samantha