Several book reviews in the bag (five, total), the most at any one time for me. Why? How did that happen?
We were on vacation last week, which provided me with ample reading opportunities. The destination? Tarpon Springs, Florida.
The weather wasn't all that great (rained several days) and the pool at the house we rented wasn't heated (even though the web site made the impression that it was). But we made the most of it.
One day, we visited Honeymoon Island. Ospreys, armadillos (I had no idea that Florida had those!), assorted other birds, and a very nice walking path. Another day, we rented a pontoon boat and visited Anclote Key Preserve State Park. Only being accessible by boat, this was a wonderful destination. Saw dolphins, hermit crabs, did some shell collecting, and enjoyed the beaches. We were pretty much the only people on the beach/island. Although there were others that anchored off the key.
The older, Greek section of Tarpon Springs was rather a disappointment, as most shops and restaurants seemed to carry the same items. But it was nice to walk the area, overlooking the Anclote River. We did, however, find an excellent Greek restaurant, in the Historical Area, Greek Pizza Kitchen. Family owned and operated (daughter Alexis waited on us one evening), excellent service and food. If you visit, you must have the fresh basil on your stone oven pizza. It was outstanding! Other items that we really enjoyed: Saganaki, Horiatiki Salad (think a very unique Greek antipasto salad), and the gyro. We liked it so much, we went twice. :-) Part of the charm is that they have pictures of their family on the walls. Asking about the family, we found out that the grandmother and grandfather (Nick and Irene Nicholas) donated the land that became Sunset Beach Park (they are honored with a small brass plaque in the park).
We visited one museum in town, Classic Corvettes and Collectables. I don't think that "museum" is the proper word, as all of the vehicles you saw are available for purchase. My favorite? The 1970 Oldsmobile Cutless SX. It looked understated from the outside, but under the hood? 365HP, 455 CI engine. Hold on, we're going for a drive! The sad part about visiting was knowing several friends who, at one time, drove some of these cars. Now they can be had for tens of thousands more than what they paid for them. In the case of the 1970 Olds, you are looking at a $46,000 car. If that isn't in your future, try the $200,000 2005 Ford GT or the $150,000 1970 Shelby Cobra GT 500 Mustang.
About the only "touristy" thing we did was to visit Busch Gardens. However, as the 30% rain turned into 100% rain, with no sign of stopping, we were only there long enough to ride the train and have a tasting at the Brewmasters Club. I have to say that this was the first time, in a very long time, that I consumed Anheuser-Busch products. However, it was an excellent experience, as the "tour guide" did a great job showing us how different foods change the tastes of various beers. While you are only talking about Bud and Bud Light, I can see how a decent provolone can improve the taste of a high IBU beer. Knowing that we would probably do the beer tasting, I made sure to wear this shirt. Good taste comes to Busch Gardens. :-)
Flickr photos can be found here.
Technorati tag: Tarpon Springs Greek Pizza Kitchen
BlogSphere V1.3.1
Join The WebLog Revolution at BlogSphere.net