West Virginia Road Trip! Part 2: "Taking The Waters" at America's First Spa!

At Berkeley Springs Spa!

Live Music & Dinner!

West Virginia is open for business and #vacation #travel fun! Come on down!

NOTE: Due to possible COVID-19 restrictions, which seem to be changing daily, before you travel or book Anything, CALL every place you want to go and make SURE they are open and operating! I have included phone numbers for almost every place we went to and enjoyed in this post. Although I have also included website hotlinks, do NOT rely on websites and online reservation sites- they are often not kept up to date! Every place we stayed at was spotlessly clean, and we had NO negative issues whatsoever! Dan and I are not kids- he is 73, and I am 61- and we had a fabulous West Virginia getaway!

Part 2: "Taking the Waters" at America's First Spa in Berkeley Springs!

Our 9-night Road Trip loop thru West Virginia first took us from the Elkhorn Inn Theatre in the southern mountains of Landgraff, in McDowell County, up to Romney, in Hampshire County, to ride the Potomac Eagle Dinner Train (see this post: https://southernwestvirginia.blogspot.com/2020/07/west-virginia-road-trip-come-on-down.html). Then we drove a little farther north to Berkeley Springs, in Morgan County, to "take the waters" at America's First Spa!  Berkeley Springs is only about an hour north of Romney, and being a die-hard "spa babe", I have wanted to "take the waters" there Forever! Being history buffs, when Chef Dan and I do road trips we stop to read the historic signs we encounter along the way whenever we can, and we pulled over to see the cool 1932 Pinoak Fountain:

Pinoak Fountain

We also pulled over to see the gorgeous view looking down into the valley where the Civil War Battle of Great Cacapon took place in January, 1862:

Prospect Peak

Overlook of Cacapon Valley

Overlooking the site of the Civil War Battle of Great Cacapon

Civil War Battle of Great Cacapon

Berkeley Springs is known as "America's First Spa", as George Washington bathed there (as did we!), and it's the ONLY spa in a State Park! We stayed right next door to the spa- literally- at the historic, 1933 Country Inn of Berkeley Springs: https://www.thecountryinnwv.com/ Tel: (304) 258-1200, and it truly was one of the loveliest places we stayed on this trip. History buffs that we are, we chose to stay in their Queen Deluxe Room, which is pictured on their website: https://www.thecountryinnwv.com/queen-deluxe, in the historic main building, even though that meant walking upstairs; our room was lovely, I loved the old political cartoons they have framed in the hallway (which proved, conclusively, that nothing ever changes...), and I found an enjoyable 1930s book to read in their library: The Silver Flute, by Lida Larrimore... 

Our Queen Deluxe Room

The Country Inn of Berkeley Springs

Old political cartoon...

Old political cartoon...

Old political cartoon...

When I called to book and learned that they had live music the evening we arrived, I immediately made us reservations for 













dinner on their patio so we could enjoy the music- and it was great! The band was Matt Otis and the Sound www.mattotismusic.com from Pennsylvania, and it was standing room only, with every seat taken, as they have quite the fan base! They played a variety of music (the violinist is superb!), including covers of classic rock and their own songs, and they were so good that we bought two of their CDs! We had a great table outside right near the bandstand, and enjoyed a delicious dinner of steak and seared tuna, and several G&Ts, while listening to the music.

G&T  and Great Music!

YUM! Dinner and Music!

Music at night out on the Inn's Patio...

We went to the Berkeley Springs State Park https://wvstateparks.com/park/berkeley-springs-state-park/  Tel: (304) 258-2711 shortly after we arrived and checked into the hotel, literally walking next door, and it was SO cool! It was SO great to see families and children enjoying the waters, frolicking in the swimming pool, and taking in the historic sites, such as "George Washington's Bathtub", which I, of course, had to dip my feet in for a photo!

Roman Gath House at Berkeley Springs State Park

Berkeley Springs State Park

"Taking The Waters"!

At Berkeley Springs State Park

George Washington's Bathtub!

Our Private Bath at Berkeley Springs

Berkeley Springs is a mineral spa that has been in use since before colonial times. It's renowned for its warm spring water, which flows at a constant temperature of 74.3 degrees, and the park’s Old Roman and Main Bathhouses offer a wide selection of spa services, 














including massages, saunas, baths, and showers. Dan and I took a private room in the Roman Bath House for a ½ hour bath, soaking in the warm, relaxing water, and then we filled a gallon jug with drinking water from the outside taps at the “Gentleman's Spring”, before I went to dip my toes in George Washington's Bathtub! From the Park website: "Long before the first Europeans discovered the warm waters of Berkeley Springs, it was already a famous health mecca which attracted Native Americans from the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada and the Great Lakes to the Carolinas. Those first settlers, who came in 1730, learned the uses and value of the springs from the Native Americans and began spreading the word of its benefits throughout the settlements of the east. Perhaps the most notable and influential advocate of the curative powers of the springs was George Washington, who, at 16, visited them as a member of a survey party. As the party, which was surveying the western limits of Thomas Lord Fairfax's lands, camped there for the night, young Washington noted in his diary: "March 18th, 1748, We this day called to see Ye Fam'd Warm Springs". For many years afterwards, George Washington visited the springs regularly, and it was largely through his efforts that its fame as a health spa grew throughout the colonies. At the urging of the Colony of Virginia and in the public interest, Lord Fairfax conveyed his land holdings at the springs and fifty adjacent acres to the Colony of Virginia in 1776. Shortly thereafter, the land was offered for public sale. George Washington, three signers of the Declaration of Independence, four signers of the Constitution, seven members of the Continental Congress and five Revolutionary generals were among the prominent colonists who made initial purchases there. Hence, the spring's reputation as a health resort became firmly established. Borrowing the name of a famous counterpart in England, the General Assembly of Virginia formed the town of Bath on this location in 1776 and created a board of trustees to govern the new town. James Rumsey, who later invented the first successful steamboat, was then contracted to construct five bathhouses and several other public buildings. This officially established the springs as a resort facility". More interesting historic info on Berkeley Springs: https://berkeleysprings.com/oddities-and-legends/secret-destiny-of-berkeley-springs/ The Inn and Park are right in the middle of the downtown Historic District, and after we "took the waters", we found a GREAT bar with yummy, small foodie plates: The Naked Olive Lounge! https://www.nakedolivelounge.com/  Tel: 304-500-2668 The Lounge is chic, friendly, lively, and fun, and Dan and I shared a delicious Smoked Salmon Charcuterie Board made with locally-smoked salmons; he had a glass of wine, while I had a yummy Honey Ginger Bourbon Cocktail. They also have The Naked Olive Shop  https://www.thenakedolive.com/ right next door, which sells a variety of fine olive oils, Balsamic Vinegars from Modena, Italy, and condiments, so of course we had to go in and buy some to take home, including Truffle and Pepper Oils, and their Blackberry Ginger Balsamic for cocktails! (Unfortunately, they can't do tastings at this time).

Honey-Ginger Bourbon

Smoked Salmon Charcuterie Board at The Naked Olive

At The Naked Olive

The next day we went "sightseeing", stopping first outside the Berkeley Castle, which Dan actually bid on many years ago when it came up for auction! (At that time, the bidding opened at $10,000, LOL, and the castle sold for about 100K; it recently sold for $1.4 million...) Closed now to the public, it has a very interesting history, and I would have loved to see it inside, as Dan had, when it was still filled with the original furnishings- it even has a dungeon! Berkeley Castle is perched on a hill overlooking the town of Berkeley Springs, and was built back when the town was called Bath, after the town of the same name in England also famed for its waters, the name given to it by George Washington and pals when they formed a town around the springs in 1776. Bath is still the official name of the tiny municipality that surrounds the mineral springs, as well as the Historic District, which was established in 2009. The castle was designed in the English-Norman architectural style and built by Colonel Samuel Taylor Suit, who was quite a guy: a successful whiskey distiller, Civil War Veteran, honorary Kentucky colonel, and a wealthy, well-connected landowner, businessman, and politician. He built it between 1885 and 1891, entirely for love... and then his widow partied hearty and lost it all... From https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/west-virginia/medieval-castle-wv/ :

“Suit, a veteran of the Civil War, met 17-year-old Rosa Pelham, the daughter of a congressman, when he was 46. He fell in love with her and proposed marriage. She refused, and the two parted ways. Five years later, the two ran into each other once again, and once again he proposed marriage. This time she accepted, perhaps due to his solemn pledge to build her a castle in the town of Bath. Later that day, the couple walked up the hill to Warm Springs Ridge and decided it was the perfect spot to build their castle. So, Suit purchased the land and married Rosa a few days later. Construction began in 1885 by 100 German masons. Each stone was hand cut from the silica sandstone mined in the area. It took them until 1891 to complete the castle. Unfortunately, Suit did not live to see his vision completed. He died just short of the castle's completion in 1891. As stipulated in his will, in order for Rosa to receive her inheritance, she must see the castle to completion. So that is exactly what she did. The elite of high society would come to the castle from D.C. and around the country. Each event had a full orchestra and catering. She would even rent entire train cars to bring people in, and further pay for hotels and spas in which they could stay, sometimes for longer than a week. This lavish spending eventually caught up with her, and she was broke by the time she was 50 years old. As a result, the castle was sold at a public auction in 1909, and Rosa moved to a small cottage to raise chickens”. You can't make this stuff, up, kids!    

The Castle on the hill!

Berkeley Castle

The Gate of Berkeley Castle

Outside Berkeley Castle

The original Gate Post, now in the valley below

Dan at the castle he once bid on!

We then Had to go to the Berkeley Springs Brewery: https://www.berkeleyspringsbrewingcompany.com/  Tel: (304) 258-3369 for a beer sampler, as all their beers are made with that special Berkeley Springs spa water, and I just Had to try them! All the beers we tried were tasty, and some of the names were hilarious- such as "Her Dirty Bathwater"! If we can get back, I would Really like to try their Boozy Brisket on a Brioche Bun, and Beer Cocktails! 

Berkeley Springs Brewery

Berkeley Springs Brewery Beer Sampler

We then discovered a winery- the Cold Run Valley Winery- which makes fruit wines from fruits grown on their farm: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Cold-Run-Valley-Winery-104159694368012  Tel: (304) 258-2828 Dale Carlisle, the owner, gave us a tasting of all their wines, and we bought their yummy Strawberry, Blueberry, and Apple-Blueberry-Strawberry wines to take home! 

At Cold Run Winery

Cold Run Winery

Sir John's Run

overs Leap!

Next: WV Road Trip, Part 3: To Shinnston, to meet Punjab the Camel!  West Virginia is open for business-, and #vacation #travel fun! Come on down!

Rituals for the Holidays: Creating a Dao Spa Bath Experience!

Ritual of Dao

I was recently and very happily selected by Tryazon to try a selection of bath and shower products from Rituals: The Rituals for The Holidays "Ritual of Dao" line, and it has been a delightful experience! Earlier this fall I got to try several of the Ritual of Sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) scented products, and I loved them, as the scent is divine, and using them brings back wonderful memories of seeing the cherry blossoms in Japan, so I was Very happy to get to try several of the Dao products, which are scented with the light and subtle fragrance of White Lotus, and contain Yi Yi Ren, an herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for skin nourishing and healing, among other things. Rituals products are truly unique, and every Rituals Collection is based on a different philosophy; the Ritual of Dao collection is based on the Chinese philosophy of creating a balance between Yin and Yang, and a "harmonic flow" that relaxes, calms, and reduces stress. I have used Traditional Chinese Medicine for many years for my health, and found it to be truly excellent and reliable- it has 3,500 years of history behind it!- and Dan and I spent an amazing month traveling through China last year, and so this concept intrigued me, and as I could Really use some tranquility in my life right now, the idea of slowing down with a warm, scented bath was VERY appealing! I find fragrance very powerful, and I love to use perfumes, bath oils, home fragrance, candles, and other scented products to remind me of happy experiences! I have to say that the Ritual of Dao bath products do let me enjoy some wonderful and romantic memories of our time in China!

A village on the Yangtze River...

Rituals of Dao

The Dao Gift Box that arrived was lovely, elegant, and "upscale", and it would obviously make a delightful holiday present for just about anyone!  
The four Dao products included in my box that I tried were the Shower Oil,  Foaming Shower Gel, Moisturizing Shampoo, and Body Cream, and together they really do make for a lovely, relaxing "spa" bath experience! 
The Dao fragrance is very light and delicate, and is thus a great gift-giving option; I think that anyone who was gifted with these products would be extremely pleased- I know I was! 

The Ritual of Dao Be Kind To Your Skin Body Cream has the lovely, light, and calming White Lotus fragrance, and I love the richness of the cream. The Rituals Body Creams don't irritate my skin or make me itch like many other creams do, and as I like to “layer” scented products, so the fragrance lasts as long as possible, I use this as a hand cream throughout the day (I keep it in my office), as well as using it as a body cream after bathing.

Since I like to layer scented products, I really enjoyed using the Ritual of Dao Moisturizing Shampoo. The scent is gentle and subtle, and I was Very happy that it's safe for color-treated hair, and free of parabens, sulfates, and silicone. It's enriched with Argan Oil, as well, and makes a creamy lather. As I didn't get the conditioner (yet!), I use a leave-in conditioner after I shampoo, as my hair needs the added moisture...

I LOVE the Ritual of Dao Shower Oil! I had never tried a Ritual Shower Oil before, and I really love this. I have always enjoyed using scented bath oils, and this is a great product to create a true “spa” bath or shower experience! The oil is creamy and moisturizing and leaves my skin silky (not greasy), and the Dao fragrance is delicate and relaxing. I like to “layer” all the Dao products, so I use this and the Shampoo, and then the Body Lotion after bathing. 

The Ritual of Dao Foaming Shower Gel is my favorite Rituals product! Rituals' foaming cream shower gels have become my favorite bath and shower gels, as they are so luscious and creamy and moisturizing! They are really the best shower/bath gels I've ever used. The Dao White Lotus fragrance is light and calming, and this cream gel is the "star" of my Dao Bath Ritual!

As I mentioned, my husband and I were lucky enough to spend some time in China last year, and using these Ritual of Dao bath products creates a lovely "me time" experience that brings back some wonderful memories, especially of a romantic cruise we took on the Yangtze River, and the small villages we visited!

Do you use scented products to bring back memories? 

Let me know in the comments!

Rituals Cosmetics  #ritualsusa #shareyourslowdown #tryazon Tryazon 

On the Yangtze River...

A village on Yangtze River in China

On the Yangtze River in China...

Tongli, a Chinese "Water Town"

Dan and I in Tongli on the water... 

On the Yangtze River...

With the LeShan Buddha...

On the Yangtze River...

Good Morning Vietnam! Part 8: Nha Trang! BBQ, Beer, & Mud!

And now, back to Vietnam! :-)
As my few faithful readers know, we recently spent another glorious month in Vietnam, thanks to my winning a trip from Central Coast Vietnam. My previous posts have detailed the fabulous, delicious & adventurous fun we had in the Hoi An area, and in Hue. From Hue we took the Vietnam Railways train all the way down the coast to Nha Trang- a 12 hour train trip!(We're "railfans" so we Love that sort of thing!)

Modern Nha Trang!

We opted for a high-end "soft sleeper", with two berths in a four-berth a/c cabin- but although I did sleep for a few hours, and the bed was nice, with sheets, blanket, and pillow- we spent most of the trip in the Dining Car, watching the beautiful coastal scenery of Vietnam go by as we sipped coffee, drank beer, ate pho, and chatted with other tourists doing the same! We had the two upper berths in our cabin, which are not the easiest things to climb up into, as I forgot to request the two lower berths- MUST remember to do that next time! :-)  We truly love train travel- it enables you to actually enjoy the place where you are traveling WHILE you are traveling, and makes the "getting there" part of the fun!
 

Waitin' fer a train!

At the Hue Train Station

Dam, ready to ride!

Our train to Nha Trang...

On the way to Nha Trang...

Dining Car fun! Ice Coffee and Tiger Beer!

Elisse, happy in the Dining Car...

The great thing about taking the trains in Vietnam, is that you can sit in the Dining Car, enjoy coffee, beer, or a nice meal, and also enjoy the beauty of Vietnam, the villages and the rice paddies, the changing landscapes and seascapes... PLUS: You can walk around and stretch your legs, have a cig between the cars with your can of beer or cup of coffee, or take a snooze in your berth, stretched out on clean sheets, with a pillow and a blankie! You CANNOT do ANY that if you fly, or if you're on a bus!

You HAVE to enlarge and read this!

On the way to Nha Trang...

On the way to Nha Trang...

 

Arriving in Nha Trang!

We left Hue in the morning and got to Nha Trang in the evening, taking a taxi to our hotel, the 4-star Muong Thanh Nha Trang Hotel on the beach. The Nam Hai Resort concierges were gracious enough to help us book several hotels throughout Vietnam, and the 4-star hotels they selected for us were only $50 a night, and truly nice. While there are pleasant hotels around Vietnam as cheap as $9 a night, and many in the $24-$30 a night range, 4-star hotels have the things that often make travel more easy and pleasant: they're usually centrally located in good, safe areas, have English speaking desk staff, a/c, WiFi, great beds and crisp, clean bedding, nice pillows, elevators that work, hotel amenities, a bar, a tasty breakfast, and often a pool or a spa- in other words, all the "little things" that make travel that much more pleasant! And if you find you need a Really Good Concierge, to find out about great tours or fab restaurants, you can always pop into a 5-star hotel, like a Sheraton (5-stars are usually over $200 a night), and ask their concierge for help! And that's exactly what we did in Nha Trang! :-) Although this was Dan's 10th time in Vietnam, he hadn't been in Nha Trang since 1970, and BOY had it changed! When he was last in Nha Trang it was basically a sleepy little village- and it is Definitely not a sleepy little village any more!

Modern Nha Trang!

Nha Trang

Nha Trang Beachfront

We walked for miles along the beach down Tran Phu Street (sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Coast Highway" of Vietnam), but finally the heat got to us! So we hailed a cab to the Louisiane Brewhouse a really delightful & chic microbrewery on the beach, with a pool and a restaurant! We had sushi and beer samplers, and got a kick out of watching the Russian tourists, for whom Nha Trang is a major travel destination!

Louisiane Bewhouse, Nha Trang Beach

Dan with his Beer Sampler!

Clams!

Sushi & a beer sampler! :-)

 We took a cyclo back to the hotel and took silly selfies!

Nha Trang Cyclo Selfie!

Cyclo selfie!

One morning we went to the Po Nagar Tower, an ancient Cham temple tower dating from ca. 781, which is literally now in downtown Nha Trang! The Cham are the ancient people of central and south Vietnam, dating back to the 7th century; in 1832 they were conquered and annexed by Vietnam. The Cham people of modern Vietnam and Cambodia are the survivors of this former kingdom, and they speak Chamic languages, as opposed to (and now in addition to) Vietnamese. The Vietnamese we know who are of Cham heritage are Extremely proud of their ancient lineage, as well they should be. We saw a troupe of graceful dancers performing there, with musicians, and explored the museum, the Hindu statues, and the shrines. The towers have been restored, and the restoration was done very well, so that you can tell what is old and original, and where the restoration starts...

Dancers at the Po Nagar Tower

In the museum

The Po Nagar Champa Tower

Pilgrims can borrow robes...

Nha Trang, from the Po Nagar Tower

Po Nagar Tower, at night

We came back at night to photograph it lit up in the darkness, surrounded by the neon of modern Nha Trang...

Around the corner from the Po Nagar Tower...

It was HOT in Nha Trang- real beach weather! And the beach is Gorgeous! But Dan isn't a "beach guy", so we walked and wandered, and periodically cooled off with Vietnamese ice coffee in the cute and chic 'n trendy cafes along the seaside. On a "mission" to get a charger for our Nexus, we wound up in one of Nha Trang's fancy-shmancy shopping centers, literally a Nha Trang Bloomingdales, full of every fancy designer name you can imagine, and bought one for $10- and got back to the hotel and discovered it was a non-working dud. LOL

Nha Trang's Bloomies!

We had an excellent dinner in Nha Trang at  Lac Canh  (44 Nguyen Binh Kiem- cash only!), which we'd seen written up in the National Geographic Traveler guide book (and online) as a not-to-miss place that's been a Nha Trang foodie destination since 1975! Lac Canh’s barbecued beef, marinated in a secret family recipe of honey and over 10 spices, is now actually protected by Vietnam's National Office of Intellectual Property, and it's listed on the "best of Vietnam" website http://www.vietnamonline.com/best-of-vietnam/top-5-specialties-of-nha-trang.html  as one of the top 5 specialties of Nha Trang!

An informal, outdoor patio restaurant, bustling with locals and a few "in the know" tourists, the fun of Lac Canh is that you grill your own food- meats, seafood, veggies- on a small charcoal brazier at your table! Their "secret spice" marinated meats and seafood were SO good that we ordered more and more, so we could try things- like eel- that we'd always wanted to taste! We had a nice, cold bottle of Dalat white wine with our dinner, which they put in a wine-cooler by our table, too! Highly recommended!


We popped into the Nha Trang Sheraton to ask their VERY nice concierge about tours for our last day in Nha Trang, and the most interesting choices were snorkeling or the famous Nha Trang mud baths and hot springs! (There was a Great sounding night squid fishing tour we really wanted to do, but we needed 5 people to do it, and we were only two! Next time!) While I love snorkeling, and the islands off Nha Trang are THE place to it, it's not Dan's favorite thing to do... so since I love mud spas, too, (and have previously managed to get Dan into the mud in both Israel at the Dead Sea, and the mud volcano in Cartagena, Columbia), we opted to spend a rather luxurious day at the i-resort Nha Trang. We had a car and driver to take us round trip, and a private little villa, with our very own mud bath! The mud bath was Delicious- like chocolate soup!- and it immediately stopped all the skin irritations (I have Psoriasis) that I'd been experiencing! You actually float in the mud- but it isn't salty like the Dead Sea, and I have no idea what creates that kind of buoyancy! I loved it so much that before we left I bought two jars of the mud powder to take home- and I've been using it ever since! After our mud bath and showers, we had our massages, and enjoyed our private hot spring pools and the waterfall overlooking the mountains- the view was truly enchanting. We had lunch on the patio of our little villa, and I laid out by the pool for a bit... and all too soon it was time to leave...

Floating in the mud- like the Dead Sea!

Cuteness!

Our private pool!

The view from our waterfall!

Lunch on our balcony...

Our last evening in Nha Trang we wound up back at the Louisiane Brewhouse, had G&Ts and chili crabs! (I couldn't leave the coast without enjoying chili crabs!) We sat by the pool, enjoying the live music- in English and Russian! :-)

Chili Crabs!

Nha Trang at dusk...