Erie, Pennsylvania

Who is ready for the next Bench? If you answered “YES!” You’re in for a treat. This one comes from my partner in crime, David. I hope you enjoy this bench and maybe even visit. - Really you should because I can’t wait to go back

Erie, PA

We traveled to Erie for this bench. We spent four days up north and loved every minute of it. David is from Erie so he had a ball showing me his hometown. For those of you that don't know where Erie is let me give you an idea. It is located in the very far left corner of the state of Pennsylvania. It is the only part of Pennsylvania that juts out into Lake Erie.

Erie, itself has a very rich history. It was first settled by the Eriez Indians ( hence the name of the Lake and city). The French built Fort Presque Isle in 1753 that would later be occupied by the British and burned by Seneca Indians a few years later. Erie played a vital role in the War of 1812. Commodore Oliver H. Perry’s fleet was by and large built in Erie. Misery Bay, which is within the harbor, is where his flagship “The Niagara” was sunk. 

You can visit the maritime museum and see The Niagara and learn more about the maritime history of Erie. 

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2119.html - a brief history on Erie 

Erie has two lighthouses you can visit. One of which is the oldest land lighthouse on the Great Lakes. It was built in 1818 and is called the Erie Land Lighthouse. The second lighthouse is located on Presque Isle and was built in 1872. We visited both the Presque Isle Lighthouse, and the North Pier Lighthouse. Presque Isle Lighthouse is absolutely beautiful. It was recently reopened to the public last year for tours, it costs $6 to go climb the tower. The grounds are absolutely breathtaking. The beach doesn’t look like what you’d expect for a northern beach on a lake. Rather it looks like a beach from the Carolinas with the tall grasses and smooth sand. I was in complete awe. 

http://presqueislelighthouse.org - Link for the light house tours and hours (seasonal)

Presque Isle Lighthouse - courtesy of David 

We stayed on Presque Isle most of the day. Why they call it an Isle I’ll never know. ( I was recently informed, by David, that Presque is French for almost, so “almost island” is a peninsula. Learn something new every day) Really its just a peninsula that juts out into the lake. However you will not run out of things to do here! You can rent kayaks, bird watch, bike, hike, go to gorgeous beaches, swim, fishing, you name it you can probably do it there. We drove all over and ended up on sunset beach, which is where our bench is (our bench, isn’t that a cool thing!?). David has told me over and over how beautiful the sunsets are in Erie and I couldn’t wait to see them.  Boy was he right!! The sunsets are absolutely breathtaking! To this day I don’t know if I’ve seen one that remotely compares. Go there. Please go and see for yourself. The pictures I’ll share are just a glimpse of the true beauty. According to David’s dad you can sometimes see the northern lights there as well.

http://www.goerie.com/presque-isle - Link for all the activities and things to do in Erie

My favorite subject for this trip David haha

A view from the bench courtesy of David

I don't have a pic of the Bench -Sorry!- but the bench was used to get this fabulous shot!

You know me and food, if there’s good food nearby a bench I’ll tell you about it. Well on Presque Isle there’s a diner called Sara’s and there you can get one of the best milkshakes I’ve ever had. They also have your standard diner fare, burgers, fries, etc. The ice cream is what we went for and it was fantastic! (any Doctor Who fans out there? If so, you get it) I highly recommend that you go here for dessert and take it to the beach and watch the sun set. Yum!

http://sarasandsallys.com

All in all Erie is a fantastic city. The people there are incredibly nice and there is a ton to do and see. It’s a tourists dream, great food, beaches, and more activities than I can name. I have fallen in love with it and I think you will too when you visit. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves but man oh man is it pretty out that way. Just imagine how it would look when the leaves are changing colors in the fall, or when the first snow falls in the winter. Did I mention the skiing in the area? Like I said you’ll never run out of things to do and see. 

Salzburg, Austria

Since I’ve been gone so long I thought it’d be a nice treat to share with you my favorite spots during my time in Salzburg. I lived there for about a year while studying at the Universität Salzburg, and loved every moment. I hope to go back soon since this post is allowing me to relive my time there. Alrighty on with the post.

My bench in Salzburg is located just outside the Dom (the Cathedral) in the Kapitel-Platz. It sits between two pillars that hold up an archway connected the Dom and just behind the life sized chess board. I used to love to sit there with my book and watch the old men challenge the tourists or local school kids to a game of chess. Some games would last for hours, often leading to a stall and coffee break for the opponents while someone guarded the board from others who'd like to play. 

Across the courtyard, past the giant Goldene Kügle (giant gold ball with man standing on top), and though the stone archway you'll see a water wheel. Just before the water wheel is a set of stairs that lead down to a hidden gem. A bakery run by the brothers of the St Peters called Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter.. The sweet bread (Sußebrot) is amazing. This is a favorite spot for locals so go early to be sure you get first choice of all they have to offer. 

If you happen to visit Salzburg in the winter the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) is a wonderful place to visit. There are stalls all throughout the Altstadt that have handmade gifts that your friends and family will love. You also have to try Glühwein, which is a mulled wine served warm. It’ll keep you warm from the inside out during the cold Austrian winters. There is also an ice skating rink that you can rent skates and try to not fall on your bum like I do every time I try to skate. There’s something special about Christmas time. Everyone is happy, loved ones visit from out of town, and you get to create memories and uphold traditions with family and friends. Oh, just be sure to watch out for the Krampus. These are the half-goat men/monsters that is pretty much the opposite of Saint Nicholas. While Saint Nicholas rewards good children, Krampus punish bad children. Legend says that on the eve of the start of the feast of Saint Nicholas (Which begins December 6th) Krampus comes down from the Alps and gets the bad children. If you're lucky enough to see someone dressed as a Krampus, don't be afraid they usually welcome pictures, after giving you a little fright haha.

I could go on and on about Salzburg, but theres another blog for that. I hope this inspires you to get out there and maybe one day visit Salzburg. There are benches all over the city and everywhere you turn you’ll see something new. 

Thanks for reading and for bearing with me for that extended lull.

View of the Mirabell Gardens

Piano player performing right behind my bench

Life sized Chess

Weihnachtsmarkt

Me singing "I have confidence" from the Sound of Music

Did You Miss Me?

Oh boy it has been far too long since I have talked to ya'll (has it really been 2 years!?!?!). I apologize for that. I have thought of you often and even wanted to post a few times, but my laptop was on the slow side and I didn't want to spend an entire day doing something that should take an hour or two. Don't get me wrong I love writing about the places I visit and benches I sit on, but it shouldn't take all day to upload a picture. My solution? Buy a new computer.

Yesterday I made the jump and bought a brand new MacBook Air! I am in awe of how fast this machine is! To give you a bit of a reference point to how slow my previous computer was here is what I had: MacBook Pro circa 2008. Yeah, it was almost 10 years old! It just couldn't keep up with all the updates and new iOS.

Now that I'm back from the stone ages I plan to write more often. I have missed it more than you know. I already have several ideas for posts! We are going to go back to a place I called home for a year of my life, Salzburg, Austria! This is where my love for a good reading bench took hold of me. I hope to have that written out here very soon. Thank you for staying with me through this slow time.

Stay with me! Ya'll are the best!

-A