FAST AND FUROUS

Okay, things are slowing down a bit for your intrepid travelers. Most of the Brits have returned to England and Team VFH has started to sober up, or at least the D.T.’s aren’t so violent the past couple of days. Janet though hasn’t taken off her sunglasses for a week…

Now is a good time then to try and recollect our thoughts about this summer, before the next soiree in Delaware for the Labor Day Weekend.

I’ll try and work my way backwards!?

The two weeks that Janet’s extended family visited from England were crammed with activities. This was not their first visit to the colonies, but we were determined to show them as much as possible in the Philly area. Sadly, there’s never enough time and we were all feeling stressed with the nonstop activities over the course of the visit. We soon smartly jettisoned planned side trips to Boston or tubing on the Delaware River near my house as they were over ambitious in the time allowed. We did not want to risk making this visit unpleasant. Besides, the purpose of such trips is to commune with family and many days were spent paying visits and reconnecting with loved ones.

I know…sounds like Team VFH is getting mushy huh.

Well, between pub crawls and area excursions there were pleas to have us return to England next year. Team VFH is always thinking ahead; it’s good to have a place to stay.

We still did quite a bit. One day we introduced the Brits to the game of baseball. It was fun to explain the game when it seemed nothing was happening. (An extra bonus: The Phillies won the game, a rarity these days.) We took the SEPTA regional rail into the city, rather than drive all the way into Philadelphia. I recommend looking into a One Day “Independence Pass”. For $11.00 it allows unlimited travel on the regional rails, buses and the city’s subway system. That day we hopped on and off the subway to visit various parts of Philadelphia after the game and it saved us a lot of money. I also recommend going to the stadium early, but not to watch batting practice, but to visit the Xfinity live center. It is a confluence of bars and restaurants. Victory brewing company, a favorite of Team VFH, has a brew pub there.

We spent a number of days at the Delaware beach. Friends have a rather opulent beach house there and they graciously opened their home to us. Our mini vacation included a day of surf fishing, (We landed a small sand shark and a couple of Croakers, although I thankfully caught nothing!) and a pub crawl in Lewes, Delaware. I recommend having margaritas in the upstairs lounge at Agave.

We got flagged at the Trappe Tavern one night. This level of penalty is difficult to attain at the Trappe, which conveys a party atmosphere in its lively confines. I think it was because members of our party were dancing when there was no music being played. We did manage to steal a couple of glasses as souvenirs and play a number of spirited games of Cornhole! The food is reasonably priced and they offer a fine selection of beers. I recommend buying a beer inside in order to get a glass and then find a seat at the outside bar.

The Trappe Tavern 

Another ambitious trip was to drive to Gettysburg. This year is the 150^th anniversary of this Civil War battle and it was a nice slice of American history to experience. It was our intent to drive back to Janet’s home along route 30 to see Amish people cavorting about, but our little party spent the entire day at this historic site. For the first time we “toured” the battlefield and visited the museum and the panoramic painting that depicts the infamous Pickett’s charge on that fateful third day of the battle. We considered buying into a bus tour, but discovered cd’s were for sale in the bookstore that explained the actions of the three day affair while in the comfort of our car. The cd was just $27.50 as opposed to 30+ dollars each for the bus and we were able to stop and walk around at various sites. It is well worth the visit.

After a number of visits to local pubs and more drinking on the back deck of Chez Janet and parties thrown by friends it was time for the Brits to go home and time for us to sober up!

I'M WALKING HERE....

This has been a summer of fun, friends and family. Your glorious moochers have been non-stop in the revelry department since June and it is with sincere apologies offered for our lack of sharing our experiences with you, our fair and glorious readers. You may digress here and say that you read our blog for the deals and the cheap thrills and finds and you don’t really care about our “experiences”.

To that I say: “I’m walkin’ here…”

 

Fun & games at the Devil's Den

That has been our battle cry these past two weeks. Janet’s extended family from England has been visiting the colonies and for some unknown reason Colin and I have adapted this famous scene from the film Midnight Cowboy for all situations and we utter it at the slightest provocation and usually loud enough for all to hear. We’re walking through Philadelphia to go to a Phillies game and drivers know what we’re doing. We order a beer someplace and we say, again loudly, “We’re drinking here….”  We’re surf fishing in Delaware, poles courtesy of dear friends Carl and Jill, and over the pounding froth of the waves you could hear us cry, “We’re fishing here….”  Touring the vast battlefield of Gettysburg we’re looking down the barrels of cannon and saying…  well, you get the picture. We’re a couple of knuckleheads….

We’re having loads of fun and we are not slowing down.  

Don't worry... we are careful crossing the streets. As soon as we sober up we'll write more!

Thanks for your patience!

greg and Janet

Fear and Loathing of Hilton Head?

Okay. This sounds ridiculous, but I now have a greater appreciation of Hilton Head after a week there. Previously I held it in little regard and would NEVER have considered visiting this large Sea Island on the South Carolina coast.

After all, it’s considered a golfing mecca.  There’s like a gazillion golf courses on Hilton Head and the surrounding area.  For this humble guy who writes a travel blog about being cheap, my golfing is regulated to wind-milled courses with decaying plastic fairy tale figurines.

After all, Hilton Head is a rich person’s paradise. Though I have champagne tastes, I have a beer barrel pocketbook. Throughout our preparations for this impending trip, Janet had me worried about my wardrobe. Normally I’m a t-shirt guy who throws on an Aloha shirt to dress up (ironing not required). That would not work in Hilton Head. Plus, being a cheap SOB brings out the Napoleonic complex in me; I will never earn the money required to be a “resident” of Hilton Head and I feel those who do can see it plain as the stain on my Piggly Wiggly t-shirt. More on that later and I’m not talking about more stains.

After all, Hilton Head is a ménage of people from all over. I was concerned that our trip to South Carolina would end abruptly as soon as we crossed over to Hilton Head; that the attitudes would get sharper and the genteelness would dissipate. South Carolina had been an easy, meandering ride. There was much history and beautiful views and phenomenal food so far in our vacation. I did not expect as much from Hilton Head.

Instead, I expected people wearing ugly colored golf pants and driving everywhere in golf carts. I expected tuxedos being worn in the overpriced super markets and having to pay an arm and a leg for sub par food in the island’s restaurants.

Right about now my fair readers of Vacations From Home I hope you are metaphysically bitch-slapping me. Fer crying out loud, you’re probably thinking, they got a free vacation in of all places Hilton Head; a luxurious destination for most, and yet Greg is complaining…. Quit your griping!

I hear you… I get off on these tangents.

Without hesitation, and despite my childish worries, the week Team VFH spent on Hilton Head was a positive and fun stay with dear friends. Janet remarked more than once that she had never seen me so relaxed and I have to admit that she was correct. There were so many pluses to our visit that I would give them short shrift if I tried to enumerate them here; I shall save that for future entries! Each day I would pronounce the day as one of the Top Ten of my life, which became a running joke with us as the week progressed, but truthfully Hilton Head was a joyful experience. Indeed, the old adage of “Judge a book by its cover, and you get a paper cut,” was never truer than with Hilton Head.

  

Now, mind you I am so relaxed, that I have been lax in these entries. Sigh… I will write more about our visit and here are some of the items I will cover in future entries of Vacations From Home. Hope you’ll return.

PRE-HISTORY

SEA PINES PLANTATION

HARBOUR TOWN

BIKING

BEACH

RESTAURANTS

PIGGLY WIGGLY