Not all Florida beaches are created equal. Some have great surf, some are beautiful but are difficult to access…but there is one spot on the central gulf coast that has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. That is Whitney Beach on Longboat Key. The sand is white and soft, the water is gorgeous, and there is hardly ever anyone there.
While Bradenton, Florida might not be the most sought after destination…it does have it’s hidden jewels. The beaches are beautiful (and there is actually parking), the people are friendly, and now to add another to that list…you can find some great live music here. Downtown consists of about 5 or 6 bars, all of which are decent, but on Sunday and Tuesday evenings, something special happens and the sounds of blues and swing come out of Corks cigar bar. You almost can’t help but be drawn in…
When visiting cities I always like to go somewhere with a nice view if possible. The view from the Alter Peter Church in the city center offers some of the best views in Munich. I hesitated to put this on my blog for a long time because I thought, this isn’t really a hidden travel treasure. Certainly everyone who comes here knows about it and goes to the top. But after talking with some friends who had lived in the city for some time, I realized that it might not be as well known as I thought. So I thought I certainly must mention it, as it is one of my favorite things to do in the city.
It’s a pretty far climb to the top and the staircases are very narrow at certain points…but the view, the view is worth it. On a clear day (as in the photo above) you can see the alps in the background. It’s quite beautiful, this country, and for only 2 Euros you can see it for yourself. Definitely something worth checking out if your here in Munich…not to mention a great way to burn off some of the beer and schweinebraten you probably have consumed while visiting the city. ;)
There are numerous beautiful lakes around Munich. Starnbergersee is lovely, but often full of people and quite difficult to find a nice spot to stay for the day. This can of course be the case with any of the lakes on a gorgeous, sunny day…but I did find that one lake seemed to be quite a lot less crowded than the others, Walchensee.
I must start off this post by telling you I know nothing about hiking. Nothing. Which is actually quite sad being that I live 45 minutes away from the Alps. Maybe because I am from flat Florida, I was always a bit intimidated by the thought. Which, I now realize, was very silly of me. After some awesome friends of ours took us on our first hiking trip in Washington at Rattlesnake Ridge…I can now without a doubt say, I will be doing this wayyyy more often!