Hungry Times Two

In the 13 months Scott and I have lived in Oregon, we've done our best to visit the varied landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. To mark our 12th wedding anniversary in April, we chose the coast. Or, as the highway signs here redundantly declare, "the Ocean Beaches." We've twice day-tripped to Astoria, camped at Bullards Beach State Park near Bandon, and spent a terrific weekend in Pacific City . On that last trip, we visited Neskowin's Ghost Forest on one of the lowest tides of the year, and we were eager to return.  We tend to be procrastinating trip planners, so we we decided to go about 10 days before our anniversary, which fell on the Easter holiday. A quick Airbnb search later, we had a condo with a kitchenette reserved at Proposal Rock Inn in Neskowin, a funky creekside condo complex with views of the Pacific Ocean and, of course, Proposal Rock. The Inn allows dogs, so our pup Loretta came with us.    The view from the condo balcony As a Sout...

Something is amiss. I'm not waking up to breakfasts of small hot cups of macchiato, a ridiculous range of soft cheeses and breads, or eggs made to order. I'm not checking my daily agenda for included and optional excursions, and there's no one to make slightly awkward small talk with at meals. Nope, I'm definitely not on a Viking cruise ship anymore. Last summer my mother invited me to join her for an eight-day Viking cruise on the Danube River, a trip Viking coins " The Danube Waltz ." I'd never taken a cruise of any kind before, and she and I travel well together, so I quickly agreed. So on April 30, we took off from Charlotte, NC, enjoyed a brief layover in Munich, Germany, and touched down in Budapest, Hungary. We boarded our ship, docked at the famous Chain Bridge  on the eastern Pest side of the city, and took the first day to get our bearings and, most importantly, eat and sleep. We'd flown over on Lufthansa and while the service was eff...

Prepping for Amtrak food: Root Down in the Highlands neighborhood. Amazing house Bloody Mary mix, Colorado lamb burger with Harissa. Phone home - this place is amazing!!