Friday, October 10, 2008

Honeymooning

I know I’ve been absent from this blog for a few weeks – I was waiting to be able to post some wedding pictures, but it turns out that my photographer is taking some major time in getting that CD to me – when I get them, you’ll get to see them. In the meantime, I’m trying not to worry about the fact that even though our government just pushed a gazillion dollars into the market, the markets are still falling. I keep reminding myself that while the world holds its breath, my panic won’t affect anyone but me – and maybe my husband (who hates when I panic). So, I’m just going to have another cup of coffee and tell you a little about the Finger Lakes.

If you travel to the Finger Lakes region of New York, which I encourage you to do; you should try to arrive during the daylight hours. The beauty of your destination should be seen as soon as possible and will be a reassurance that I have not led you astray by sending you to this vacation spot.



Some might tell you that the Finger Lakes is for wine lovers and while this is true, it’s also so much more. We really enjoyed the wine trail, but we had so many options of things to do, that I think families of all ages would enjoy the trip. As for a honeymoon destination, I couldn’t recommend it more. My new husband and I spent hours together in the car gazing upon beautiful scenery and out of the car having new experiences. We had full days and lovely evening dinners.

One of my favorite experiences during our time in the Finger Lakes was visiting the Corning Glass Factory. It was a short drive from Lake Seneca and it was so worth the the time away from the lakes and the wine. We arrived at the parking kiosk and boarded a free shuttle to the factory. The shuttle takes you to several locations in the Corning area and though we only had time for the visit to the Glass Factory, our reading about Corning’s incredible Main Street America made it sounds like a place where you could spend several days.

The Glass Factory is full of interesting things. We signed up to take a glass blowing class and to tour the factory itself. We attended demonstrations and we saw some of the most of the beautiful glassware ever! As a girl whose mother has taught her to look for milk glass, Westmoreland glass and Depression glass at every flea market she passes, I was fascinated by the history of glass that was on display to the public.

Both Chris and I were able to go to the lab at our scheduled time by making a quick walk across the Corning campus. Once inside we had the option of choosing several things to make – we both chose to make Christmas tree ornaments. During our first vacation together last year to Lake George, we started a tradition of buying a tree ornament on every trip. We’d thought these would be beautiful memories of our honeymoon – we were right. We worked one on one with our glass lab director to blow the glass. It was so much fun and about a week and half after we returned from our honeymoon, our ornaments arrived on our doorstep. We love them and can’t wait to put them on this year’s tree!

Of the three lakes we visited, Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka we’ve decided that we love Keuka the best. It was hard not to stop at every vacation home with a for sale sign on it and make an offer. The smallest of the three lakes that we visited, it was the most intimate. The great thing about all of these lakes is that it’s easy to drive all the way around them in one afternoon. Keuka makes you want to linger more than any of the other lakes – maybe because it’s most visible from the road and offers several places to pull off and take pictures or smooch for awhile. It is also home to Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wines. It is a “don’t miss” destination on Keuka Lake.

Dr. Frank’s is the reason that we chose the Finger Lakes as our honeymoon destination – it’s another story for another blog entry, but I am confident in telling you that upon arrival at Dr. Frank’s, you’ll know that you’re some place special. The drive to get there is off the beaten path and as you turn onto the dirt roads, just remember that grapes like dirt – it makes sense that it’s a away from the cars and the day-to-day life. You’ll be so impressed as you turn into the drive and take in the view across the road – the grapes, the trees, the beautiful view of the lake – it’s so dramatic. To have that as the view from your office, well, Keuka Lake residents, let me just tell you that it’s far better than my crappy view of an alley in Brooklyn. You can really take that deep breath at Dr. Frank’s – it’s quiet and serene, if I were a grape, I think I’d be very happy there too. The people were terrific, the wine varieties were tremendous and we bought nearly a case of various wines before we left. Can’t bring ourselves to find the appropriate occasion to open a bottle; though we know it’s foolish to save some of them for too long.
So - the pictures in this post don't exactly match the text, but I just wanted you to see some of the beauty of the region. More are coming in another post along with more info on the great trip we had!
Till then, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

1 comment:

TheyCallMeD said...

Kristin,

I loved the honeymooning blog. I work for a non-profit tourism organization located in Corning and I wonder if you be interested in being quoted in our travel guide. You can contact me at TheyCallMeD08@gmail.com and I can go into more specifics. I hope to hear from you.

Respectfully,
D