Author Archives: Zory

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About Zory

Venezuelan living in beautiful Petoskey, MI. Passionate about traveling, photography, cooking, books, cooking books, and languages.

Peter and Benji finally visit Costa Rica!

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Three years after our original plans to visit Abi and Oscar in Costa Rica got cancelled due to Covid, in February of 2023 we were finally on our way!

Flying out of Detroit usually offers the opportunity to enjoy some pool and hot tub time.

After a long day of travel, we were finally in San Jose, hugging Abi and Oscar, who whisked us off to one of the many delicious restaurants we got to experience on our visit.

Then it was finally time to settle down for the night. The kids chose to have a slumber party in the grandparents’ room.

It didn’t take long for them to be fast asleep.

Our first adventure was going to Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, where after a short hike through beautiful trails, we arrived at a stunning beach, ready to enjoy the sunshine and warm ocean.

On the way back Peter wanted to try the “agua de pipa” or coconut water, he loved it!

Abi and Oscar chose the wonderful Hotel Costa Verde as our accommodations for this portion of the trip. We stayed in a cabin where we could hear the howler monkeys at night, and were just a few steps from one of the pools, which the kids really enjoyed. The hammock was also quite entertaining…

In the morning, we had breakfast in their restaurant, can’t beat these views…

The monkeys enjoy it too!

In fact, they actually enjoy the proximity to the restaurant, where they come and go, swiping food from tourists’ plates when they are not looking. We watched one grab a slice of banana bread from an unsuspecting lady, as well as a few items from the trash, it was quite entertaining!

Rumor has it this is the hotel owner’s very own Private “suite”…

We had a couple of meals at the restaurant El Avion, a great spot to catch the sunset.

The last stop was at a canopy tour, where Peter and Ben had a blast!

Abi and Oscar weren’t far behind…

The next adventure was visiting the Poas Volcano. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of the craters in the midst of all that fog.

Next on the list was La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Ben and I had been there over 12 years ago, a few years younger and a few ponds lighter, before marriage and kids…

We enjoyed seeing all the different animals, but the boys’ favorites were definitely the toucans.

My personal favorite was watching the boys “feed” the hummingbirds.

There were many more animals to see…

And, of course, there were waterfalls!

Our final days in Costa Rica were spent at a lovely resort, where we were able to relax and enjoy the pool, the tasty treats… and more canopy!

We even got to see a hummingbird nest, it was so tiny!

And then it was time to pack our bags and head back home. We were sad to leave, but grateful to have made so many great memories in this beautiful country. Benji and Peter will always remember this time with the grandparents, and it is now one of their favorite places in the whole wide world!. Safe to say, we will be back!

Moncton and Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park

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Our next stop on this East Coast trip was the city of Moncton, New Brunswick, as it was our gateway to Hopewell Rocks. While in Moncton we were able to see the incredibly fast Tidal Bore, along with a couple of guys who were having a blast surfing on its wake and made it all the more fun.

Then it was time to see what we traveled all this way for: Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park.

It’s a good thing we chose to pack our rubber boots!

We visited a few different places around Moncton, including the beautiful Parlee Beach, and the town of Shediac, home of The World’s Largest Lobster!

After a great trip, we made our way back to Boston airport (with an added stay at the Algonquin in Saint Andrews), and then it was time to fly back home.

Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park and Saint Andrews by-the-sea

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After some great days in Boston, we were ready to continue our trip.

After a quick stop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, we arrived at Bar Harbor, Maine, where we headed to Cadillac Mountain, part of the majestic Acadia National Park.

After enjoying these beautiful views, we continued on our way to our next stop: Saint Andrews by-the-sea in New Brunswick, Canada.

Saint Andrews was so much more than we expected. This charming little town, designated as a National Historic Site, really captured our hearts, so much so that we added an extra stay there on our way back. We stayed at the Algonquin Resort, which was wonderful, and gave our boys the chance to have a blast in their three-story water slide!

We enjoyed walking into town and checking out the incredible tides at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy.

We booked a whale watching trip with Island Quest Marine Whale and Wildlife Cruises. We were able to see a couple of minke whales, and the crew also taught us about other creatures that live in these waters. One of the coolest things was getting to sail around the tides of Passamaquoddy Bay and learning just how fast they can move.

After passing through the marker for “Mile 0” on this side of the Trans Canada Highway (we have been at the other end, in Victoria, BC, which was kind of cool), we were headed to our next stop: Moncton and Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park.

A trip to the East Coast: Boston to Bay of Fundy

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In August of 2022 we set out to explore a little bit of the East Coast. Our first stop was Boston, MA, where we spent a few days exploring just a tiny bit of what this city has to offer.

A rainy day gave us the perfect opportunity to visit the Museum of Science:

We enjoyed being able to walk to many of the places we wanted to explore.

A visit to the USS Constitution gave us a chance to step back in history.

We headed to The Children’s Museum early one morning, expecting a large crowd. We went straight to the top floor and enjoyed some quiet, nearly empty spaces for a good while.

We had some delicious treats at the Boston Public Market. Peter gave two thumbs up to the pain-au-chocolat.

Of course there had to be a visit to Fenway Park!

We explored The Freedom Trail and enjoyed seeing so many historical landmarks and buildings.

We visited … scavenger hunt for kids…

We were exhausted after all the walking! Time for a break at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

After our little break, we were ready to get some dinner at an Italian restaurant, followed by dessert: the famous cannoli at Mike’s Pastry.

One day we decided to head to Harvard Square. We enjoyed a visit to the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

We had lunch at the famous Mr. Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers joint. We also took a stroll around the university grounds.

After a few great days exploring Boston, we were ready to head to the next adventure. We will probably come back though, there’s so much more to explore and see!

Indian Rocks Beach, Florida

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The winter of 2022 was our time to get back to traveling and get back to the beach, specifically Florida. In February we traveled to the east coast (Cocoa Beach) to meet up with Abi and Oscar. In March we invited Grandmom to come with us to the west coast, to Indian Rocks Beach. We went from unsalted and frozen to salted and warm!

This was a perfect destination for us. The area was quiet and less of an activity hub, which suits us well. There were some great restaurants we could walk to, including a delicious French bakery, and we were only a short walk from this beautiful beach.

We visited the St. Pete’s Saturday Morning Market (farmers markets are always my happy place!).

We went to The Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

We went to a Detroit Tiger’s Spring Training game.

And Silvia and I even got to visit the Dali Museum in St. Pete!

Now there is only one thing I need to remember when we go to the beach: no matter how cold the water may seem, always get these boys in their bathing suits because they will jump in every time!