When we start talking about beauty, each has their own of what, how, who, which and where they would admire. For many, admiring famous celebrities on what they wear, what they do and their physical appearance is truly beauty appreciated! Admiring the latest fashions, along with the latest make ups and lipsticks are beauty incomparable! Some people are big on admiring physical beauty, - so much so that these become part of their lives. Of course, I am not saying that admiring beauty such as those are real bad! But these can be distractions as well which can often lead to unhealthy obsessions which in turn can give beauty a bad image!
It's surely a fact that often times, we spend little time appreciating the forms of beauty from nature. - I mean, how many people in this world would be "head over heels" feeling so crazy about visiting gardens and admire the natural beauty of their own? How much percentage of the human population love to connect with nature and at the same time be thankful enough of what the nature is giving them?
A bed of roses is a typical form of a nature's beauty, so much so with various beds of tulips set in kaleidoscopic colors!
It was a one-day visiting experience at Longwood Gardens once again, and I embraced this visit as colorfully awesome!
Thank you Lord for the beauty!
Milton Hershey School Tour (Founder's Hall)
Hershey Hotel Guided Property Tour & Lunch
Hershey's Antique Auto Museum
A journey of discovery and enjoyment as we visited the museum's highly detailed dioramas presenting original and restored vintage vehicles in elaborate scenes that bring the history of the automobile to life. The museum also houses the largest collection of historic buses under roof in the U.S. and an ever changing variety of vehicles that are too interesting or unique to be kept in collection storage.
Hershey Sweet Lights
This is the highlight of our tour. Hershey Sweet Lights is a holiday drive-thru spectacular, where it displays nearly 600 illuminated and animated displays from the comfort of your own car as you drive through 2 miles of wooded trails! The animated lights are also accompanied with Christmas songs where you can sing with them all along ;).
_We began our day around 5:00 am with Ging awaking at 5:30. this is difficult for her but as usual she had us completely prepared with everything. so with our map quest in hand and GPS suction cupped to the dashboard, We were off and arrived early to our pick up point. Many were already there because senior citizens arrive early. Ging would again be the baby of the trip although Lauren our hostess was young and looked a lot like Nicole. (daughter)
This was our first time using Rill's bus service and they were excellent; on time, nice and ready for us. Many of the folks had been with them and been together before because it felt like a family reunion. At exactly 7;45 am, we went to the second stop in Taylorsville to pick up a couple. After that we stopped in Middletown and had breakfast at McDonalds.
We left McDonalds and 2 hours later we arrived at the Raystown Lake Resort & Lodge. There we found the "Proud Mary", a paddlewheel criuse vessel waiting for us. We had a very traditional style buffet lunch which was really dinner served at lunch time, very delicious!
After the buffet we went on the top deck of the vessel and enjoyed a beautiful view of the lake and the beginning colors of fall. The weather was beautiful and a real highlight of the trip. The passengers were very pleasant and we enjoyed good conversation as well.
We both enjoy the fall foliage so we wanted to see a little of it before we leave for the Philippines.
Our next stop was to the special Railroad museum in Altoona. We watched a very interesting film and learned that Altoona was once the steam engine rail road capital of the world!
We had a chance to go back in time as we explored the museum and discovered what life was like during the hey day of the steam locomotive.
We learned that one of the challenges of expanding the rail road to the west, were the mountains. the answer to some of this challenge was the creation of the "Horseshoe Curve". This special curving rail gave height the rail and allows the locomotive to navigate the mountain. This was very impressive to watch since there are four parallel rails and we watched several long trains going on the curve in opposite directions.
Finally, with a very full day, it was dinner time and so we headed back with a final food stop at Gateway to alleviate our hunger. This took a lot longer that we planned since another bus had arrived there right before us. However, we were rounded up by Lauren & Joe (our driver) promptly and got on our way on time.
On the way home Rose (who was our informal leader) sent around an envelope for tips. I presented the envelope to Lauren & Joe as thanks for the great job they did. I called us the "Silver Fox" traveling group and made Rose our President.
We then arrived safely at our pick up point, drove home and reflected on a great day! Thanks to Ging!
On Board The Proud Mary - (luncheon cruise)
We were on the upper deck, right after our lunch! This was one of the highlights on this part of our tour and it was starting to get pretty out there seeing the beginning colors of fall. It should be much prettier during the peak fall.
Our Funicular Ride Going Up To Horseshoe Curve Nat'l Historic Landmark
We were at the right timing to actually witness 2 trains running in the opposite directions at the curve. If you are wondering why you are viewing passing trains upside down, that's NOT real! lol. It so happened that I recorded that from my phone in a horizontal position, and it doesn't support vertical rotation...{ugh!}
Lackawanna & Scranton, PA
The Anthracite Heritage Museum is located uphill from the Coal Mine. We paid $12 for the museum entrance ($6 per head). The museum reflects a lot of gallery displays regarding anthracite mining and textile industries including those tools (many were real antique displays) used during their time, as well as photos of them reflecting the tough, harsh working conditions that they had been through.
The museum is really an ideal learning place for students and for those who love history. Very informative!
As usual, we don't get to go out from the museum without buying a fridge magnet, LOL! I also bought a set of jewelry with stones made from coal which I thought would carry a sentimental value for me. - a piece of a necklace with a cross pendant and a set of earrings with the coal stones on them!
We then thought of visiting Steamtown National Historic Site not far away from the museum, but our GPS led us to the Mall @ Steamtown. Well, I love malls anyway, so we just decided to go in the mall and had our lunch at the food court :).
After our lunch, we noticed that the food court has a walkway outside where below it were some old trains, so we thought of following the walkway all the way to the end and surprisingly, at the end of it was a road going to the Steamtown National Historic Site, where few meters away were the site. We missed the last steam train ride for the day and was already 3:45pm. They close at 5pm, so we still had a little more than an hour to go and see what's inside.
It was a perfect timing to see a train going around its turntable, so we were able to get a short video clip on that! I didn't realize that I probably got too close to the scene so that the clip was too noisy! Sorry, just an amateur videographer here. I really need a lot to learn on this, lol!
We had seen some more galleries in there including trains that are converted into train museums. We didn't miss the theater as usual, but as we were getting both sleepy inside, we just decided to leave and go back to our hotel.
Our day ended up with a yummy dinner at T.G.I.F'riday's.
It's a beautiful sunny day, but it was cold when we reached the place of Lackawanna. The trip going there was 30 minutes away from where our hotel was. We got to the place 5 minutes early. We thought their ticketing office opens at 9AM, but they are opening at 10AM.
Anyway, the lady let us in and she told us that the next tour schedule would be at 11:10AM because the first batch today was a group student tour. The ticket costs $10 per person...not bad for an educational experience :).
We had an hour wait so after getting our tickets we thought of going to the theater to watch about the history of coal mining in Lackawanna, but we got bored about the movie later, so we just decided to go out and went around the store shop quick, then got a quick snack at the canteen adjacent to the store.
Then, on to our tour!...it lasted an hour, and it was a fun and an informative experience to descend 300 feet underground which was a half-mile walking tour.
Our expert guide did a wonderful job explaining the life of coal miners and the jobs they do inside the coal mine tunnels as early as the 18th century.
It was also cold down there with a constant temperature of 53 degrees Fahrenheit all year round! It was a smart idea that I brought a jacket with me.
After the tour, we got a "souvenir", - a Miner's Certificate"! yay! Of course, this is not official, and is available at the exit area. LOL!
_I recorded a short video clip on our descending trip going down as we were entering the old Slope #190. Let's go down, down, down!!!
We reached the park around 11am. We thought of going there as early as we can while the weather is still clear. It was a good thing that the weather didn't turn out rainy that day, but the whole day was cloudy, yet still warm. But that was way better than sunny. For sure, the hubby would be sweating like a pig, lol!
It was a little crowded at the main entrance, because it was Sunday. Inside the park was a little better. It was funny that whenever we go to a theme park like this, we just couldn't be brave enough to get on the thrill rides! We would prefer riding on trains and trolleys, and just watching shows! lol. I should have tried skyview rides but hubby won't. I don't like being alone on that cable, so we just skipped it :(.
We tried the blue cross monorail, a train ride around the park, then it was a good timing to catch The Milkmen singing on the stage. Just beside them was the Music box theater where we watched another show of good tap dancing! Those performers were really good!
We then catched a late lunch at Minetown restaurant after which we proceeded to Zoo America just adjacent to the park. There was not much crowd in the zoo. But after a few walks, my feet are getting tired. It was like around 5pm when we went out from the park. Before reaching the exit, we thought of getting some cold coffee drinks at Dunkin Donuts and took a seat for a rest! I was getting this throbbing headache again, and the coffee helped a little bit.
I enjoyed the day anyway, so we went straight back home after the rest, and retired early.
Thank you Lord for the clear weather for the whole day!
_It was pouring hard when we left home! We left like 10:30am since it was a 2-hour drive going to Hershey. When we reached our hotel (Simmons Inn & Suites), it was dry but cloudy. Truly, the place was just close to most of the attractions, such as the Hershey Park, The Hershey Story Museum, Zoo America, and a half mile drive going to the Hershey Outlets!
 The smileys on our hands served as our gate pass ;). _We arrived like around past noon, checked ourselves in the hotel, then went to the Hershey Museum. The museum will be all about the history of the Hershey family, including Milton Hershey who made Hershey chocolates popular! Of course, obviously, he was the legend behind the tasty chocolate bars that are still a top favorite by many kids and adults alike!
You would be knowing a lot about the history of the Hersheys and how the popular Hershey chocolates became famous worldwide.
The whole museum is on the second floor, so after we were done with discovering all the facts, we went down and went to Cafe' Zooka, and had chocolate tasting. By the way, this is not for free, lol! You have to buy it with a certain price then you will be tasting 6 types of chocolates. Craig loves chocolates! He didn't want to miss the chocolate tasting and so we did! I didn't like most of them except for Java that had the least amount of cacao in it.
Anyway, that was fun for hubby. He can eat however the taste is as long as it's a chocolate, lol! Most of the chocolates are made of 75% cacao and are thick and bitter! That is how pure chocolates are made.
Chocolate Tasting @ Cafe' Zooka
_It was around 4pm and we decided to get a late lunch, early dinner at The Devon Grill Restaurant, just across the museum's parking lot. This seems to be an upscale restaurant, but the food is great! It's worth the money! ;).
We then proceeded to the Hershey Outlets and had some shopping since it was way too early for the day. I got some stuff as usual. We tried to search for hubby's dress shirt sizes, but we couldn't find his size :(.
We went back to our hotel at around 6pm. It was tiring after we got settled on bed, so we slept like a log, I guess! ;) Photos at Hershey Story Museum & Hershey Outlets
We didn't know they had such an entertainment like this while we were there for dinner. Although these young guys and gals seem to be running to and fro because they were full that night, they can still manage to sing and dance. Well, younger adults (and teens) are supposed to be expectantly bubbly and highly-energized, aren't they? Cool guys!
Didn't I say Longwood Gardens is our favorite place to hang out these days? ;). I mean when it comes to garden and every time we feel we need to smell a breath of fresh air, this is our favorite place to get in touch with nature :). We didn't had any plans of what is for the weekend for the July 4th celebration, but yesterday, it was a spur of the moment when the hubby called and suggested to go back visit the gardens for the ?th time, and it was just perfect that today, the Philadelphia Orchestra was playing in the gardens.
After checking in at MendenHall, which is just 5 minutes away from the gardens, we proceeded to the gardens and arrived there around 4pm and had a late lunch at the Terrace Restaurant.
The concert started at at 7pm, at Longwood Meadow and since the reserved seats were all sold out, we got the lawn seating ticket. As always, we got our portable chairs and grabbed some snacks and drinks because hubby was sweating non stop! LOL!
The concert was done at around 8:05pm, and we proceeded at the main fountain area for the fountain show at 9:15pm. We had watched the fountains so many times, and it is spectacular as always.
We went back to our hotel around past 10pm, and hubby was dead tired and flat on bed right away! Poor hubby!
But the best thing is we had fun time together celebrating our early July 4th!
Advance Happy Birthday, America!
It was nice to be back once again at Longwood Gardens. One thing is for sure...that every trip visit going there will all be worth it. So, this time, it wasn't just a visit to the gardens smelling the flowers and the greens, but to watch the "Golden Dragon Acrobat Show" at open-air theater in the gardens as well.
The show didn't start until 1PM. While waiting, we visited the topiary garden as they had some colored roses fully in bloom and it was just so good taking photos of them plus our poses in between ;).
Thank goodness for our ever reliable tripod cam as well. We managed to take both of our photos while together.
The Golden Dragon Acrobats had a spectacular performance! It was indeed a show of breathtaking skills and spellbinding beauty combined with acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes and ancient and contemporary music.
The show lasted for an hour 1/2 and we can say it was really worth the watch. Photography wasn't allowed, but I was glad I was able to take some quick shots without my cam flash!
After the show, I bought a souvenir (fan) that looked simple, but pretty and elegant. Perfect for hot summer days! :).
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