Marblehead Rail Trail

Look hard enough and you’ll find a serene escape buried behind Salem, Massachusetts’ bewitching downtown and its' ever-expanding university- the Marblehead Rail Trail- a 4.1 mile trail that connects Marblehead, Salem, and Swampscott.  

The first time  I ever walked the Marblehead Rail Trail was back in August, which was the first time my boyfriend and I hung out together Stateside. I met my boyfriend on the Germany trip I went on with my college back in July, and we spent hours along the Marblehead Rail Trail talking about anything under the sun. 

I am a senior at Salem State University, and every year I make it a goal to find new things to love about Salem because I've had moments during my fours years where I have taken my historically rich and cultural city for granted. It is that reason I started my blog last year-to prevent myself from falling out of love with my home. I never want to forget the hidden gems that are around me even though I've now been to Europe.

For my boyfriend and I, going new places is one of the ways we keep the spark alive. We both love the outdoors, and in particular, being by the water. We like to describe our relationship as being aquatic as many of the first milestones in our relationship have taken place by the water; the first time we hung out in Germany was when we went swimming in Munich's Isar River, the first time we kissed was by the Boston Harbor after we went on a Duck Tour, and he asked me to be his girlfriend after a day spent on Plum Island (read my blog about Plum Island here: http://wickedblogger20.blogspot.com/2015/01/plum-island.html). 

The Marblehead Rail Trail not only provides views of the Atlantic, but it is also one of those secret places along the North Shore just waiting to be unearthed by you and a person you wish to be close to. 

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Camel's Hump

This weekend I got to experience two wanderlust firsts- visiting Vermont and hiking a mountain! 

Camel’s Hump is Vermont’s third highest mountain and its' highest undeveloped peak at 4,083 feet. It is called Vermont’s best mountaintop because on a clear day you can see Mount Marcy, the highest in New York State; Mount Washington, the highest in the Northeast; all of Lake Champlain; Burlington, Vermont’s largest city; and quite a bit of  Vermont's countryside. Camel's Hump is also situated on the famous Long Trail which stretches from the Appalachian Mountains to the Canadian Border.

Native Americans use to call this mountain, “Tah-wak-be-dee-ee-wadso”, which means the “mountain like a seat.” The French navigator Samuel de Champlain and his  exploration team from the 1630’s named it “lion couchant” or resting lion. “Camel’s Rump” was assigned on a historical map made by Ira Allen in 1798 and in 1830, the mountain became known as “Camel’s Hump." Camel’s Hump is the largest park in the state and one of the oldest pieces of public land. It was given to Vermont in 1911 by Col. Joseph Battell,who didn’t want to see the summits logged.  In October 1944 during World War II, a B-27J Bomber plane on a training mission crashed into the side of the mountain near the summit. Most of the wreckage has been removed, but parts of a wing still exist on the Alpine Trail just about 0.4 miles from the summit. 

Fun fact: Camel's Hump was featured on the 2001 Vermont state quarter. 

Camel's Hump is a popular destination for hunting, hiking, Nordic skiing, and snowmobiling. It is also not uncommon to find researchers here as some of the most important studies detailing forest damage due to acid rain have been conducted on this Huntington mountain. 

On Saturday, October 10, I hiked along the Burrows Trail, the oldest trail on the mountain. It was a 4.8 miles roundtrip, and its degree of difficulty ranges from moderate to strenuous. I was up in Vermont to meet my boyfriend's parents and since we started dating in August, hiking has become one of my new favorites. Walking has always been my favorite form of exercise, so picking up hiking was a natural evolution for me.  

I would recommend hiking to anyone because life is a hike. It wasn't a walk in the park climbing my first mountain. As my veteran hiking boyfriend promised, there were times along the five hour journey that I loved hiking and other moments not so much. As with life, hiking can be disorientating at times, but what blew me away the most, besides the breathtaking view from the top, was how encouraging all the other hikers were! Words of 'don't give up, you're almost there' were as constant as the sounds of our feet crunching down on crisp, burning leaves (Vermont is famous for having the best foliage in the world!) This support helped me especially during the descent, when my hands were numb from the cold and I just wanted to cry. I never felt judged for my lack of mountain hiking experience, even when I had to do some crab shuffles or get on all four. In fact, hiking gave me confidence because it made me admire my body for how strong it is! 

I think every couple should hike at some point in their relationship. Hiking not only helps you connect more intimately with nature and yourself, but with your other half as well. It reinstalls three of the most important traits necessary for a healthy relationship- communication, patience, and support! 

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Salem Ghost Tour

If you thought Salem, Massachusetts was just famous for witches, think again! In the bewitching downtown you can hunt for not only witches, but ghosts as well!

Voted the #1 thing to do in Salem in 2009 by NBC’s Official Best Tour of Massachusetts, the Salem Night Tours conduct 75-minute tours into the supernatural world of our historic New England city. Guided by a licensed tour guide, you will journey through cemeteries, former sites of the 1692 witchcraft trials, and famous locations of folklore and legend. The use of flash photography is highly encouraged as many visitors have had spirits appear in their pictures. As a resident of Salem for the past three years, my favorite thing about the Salem Night Tours was that they offered information I had never learned before!

For example, next to the Dunkin Donuts on the corner of Washington Street and Norman Street, lies the Joshua Ward House, one of the most haunted houses in America. The house was originally owned by George Corwin, a former High Sheriff of Essex County, Massachusetts during the 1600s. He was a belligerent man who earned the nickname ‘The Strangler’ because many accused witches died at his hands. Giles Corey, the well-known victim who was eventually pressed to death, was the last to suffer under Corwin’s hands. Corwin passed away at the age of thirty, but at Corey’s sentence, which you get to see on the tour, he cursed Corwin and all the Sheriffs of Essex County.   Because many people had ill feelings towards Corwin, he was buried in his house until it was rebuilt in 1784, the foundation of the original house is all that remains. After the house was completed, George Washington actually stayed there during a visit to Salem. This is why Washington Street is named Washington Street.

But it was in the 1980s when Carlson Realty made the house its headquarters, that people started discovering its haunted happenings. Doors would shut on their own, objects move, lights turned on and off by themselves, and burglar alarms would continually go off. The grizzliest paranormal activity that has occurred there has been the apparition of two women. One of them is an old lady sitting by the fire and the other is younger women who stalks the upstairs.

These women are believed to be two of the women Corwin brutally murdered. In the 1990s, a man named Dale Lewinski captured them while trying to take a picture of the Carlson Realty staff.

The Joshua Ward House wasn’t the only place I enjoyed visiting, I also liked the Gardner Pingree House, which is the house the American board game, Clue, was based on.

On the outside, Gardner Pingree is an idyllic Georgian house, but its skeletons would shock you! But don’t worry, I didn’t ruin everything for you! The greatest thing about the Salem Night Tours is that no two tours are the same!

Salem Ghost Tour 
127 Essex Street 
Salem, Massachusetts 01970 
#978-

The Hofbrauhaus

When most people think of Munich, the first thing that pops into their mind is undoubtedly beer. In the capital of Bavaria, this beverage is more than just as a drink- it’s a way of life! Every September, the city hosts a sixteen day festival called Oktoberfest, where a whopping seven million liters are served. But if you want to celebrate beer year round in Munich, then you have to go to the Hofbräuhaus, the world’s most famous beer hall.

The Hofbräuhaus was founded in 1589 by the Duke of Bavaria, Wilhelm V, when he and the city council were not happy with the local beer. ‘Hobrau' means royal beer and ‘haus’ translates to house, but in 1828 King Ludwig opened the Hofbräuhaus to the public. This beer hall’s history is just as rich as its beer.  The Hofbräuhaus saved Munich during the Thirty Years War when the Swedes occupied it in 1632 and they agreed to not destroy the city in exchange for 1,000 buckets of beer; Mozart claimed to have written his opera ‘Idomeneo’ here;  it was the headquarters of the communist government of Munich in 1919;  the first meeting place of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists in 1920; and Vladimir Lenin frequented the hall in the years leading up to World War II. Sadly, the Hofbräuhaus was almost entirely demolished by the Allied bombs in April of 1944 and only a small section of the original remains. The Hofbräuhaus was rebuilt to its original style and reopened in 1958 in honor of Munich’s eight hundredth birthday. 

Stepping through the doors, I was greeted by the sights of packed wooden tables, giant salty pretzels, steaming food, and jolly people clinking their pitchers. There was live music being performed by an Oom-pah band, some guests were even tipsily singing along, and the waiters and waitresses were wearing traditional lederhosens and dirndls. Many may infer from this that the Hofbräuhaus is a tourist trap, but it’s actually a beloved eatery for the regional people. The name for the regular locals who reserve tables weekly, some even daily, are called Stammgäste. An easy way to spot these people out is by their old fashioned Bavarian garments, which they wear to celebrate their heritage and pride collecting their steins from the Hofbräuhaus' stein vault, which is just left of the entrance. 

The night I went I ordered the Spaetzle egg noddles with Tegernsee-style grated cheese mix and fried onions. When you translate spätzle, it means ‘little sparrow’, but it is essentially is German mac’ n cheese. This meal dates back to the at least the year 1725, but medieval drawings show that it has likely been around for much longer.  The spätzle had a good consistency to it, and I found every bite of it to be silky and smooth, except when I devoured the crunchy, crisp fried onions. Since German meals are heavy with meat, carnivorous dishes the Hofbräuhaus offer up include pig knuckle, bratwurst, and weiner schnitzel. Overall, the food here is real soul food- hearty and generous in portions. 

To accompany my comfort food, I ordered the Hobrau Dark Beer, which my menu described as ‘the origin of Bavarian beer.’ I found this beer to be smooth with a light hop character and rich malty taste. Dunkle is the German word for dark, and dunkle beers typically range in color from amber to dark reddish brown. They have an alcohol content of 4.5% to 6% and are produced using Munich malts which give the dunkle its color.  Other beers the Hofbräuhaus serves include include Radler (a beer with lemonade), Muncher Weisse, and the Hofbrau Original.

The Hofbräuhaus isn’t just a Munich-must, but a place I would recommend everyone put on their own bucket lists. This is a restaurant you can seriously bring anyone to- people watchers, historians, travelers, and of course beer enthusiasts! But putting it’s iconic status aside, the reason I think people should go here before they die is because of its experience. The Hofbräuhaus can seat up to 5,000 people at a time, but sometimes it can get so packed it is not uncommon for strangers to sit together, making it a rather communal experience, something you  don’t just seldom get at a restaurant, but in life. Regardless of what the future holds for the Hofbräuhaus, it is guaranteed to always be a fun time. 

Platzl 9, 80331 

München, Germany

+49 89 290136100

Heidelberg

Mark Twain was so besotted with Heidelberg, Germany when he lived there for several months in 1878 that he devoted a chapter in his work, A Tramp Abroad, describing why it is the most ideal city and though I only spent a fifth of my trip there, I would 100% agree with Twain! 

Heidelberg is a city situated on the River Neckar in southwest Germany.It is the longest city in the country and  a popular destination because of its romantic and picturesque landscape.

On our second day in Heidelberg,  my university and I were provided a walking tour of the city by a woman named Sonja, who also went by Mary Poppins because she habitually wears a boater hat and gloves as well as carries a parasol. The first stop was at the Jesuitenkirche, a Catholic church that was built from 1712 to 1751 for the Jesuits who arrived in 1698. 

Both the interior and exterior are quite a sight, but my favorite part was going outside to the silent area, a lush outdoor garden where visitors can go to quietly reflect and meditate. It was the only moment that day I really had to myself and as an introvert I treasured it. 

From there, Sonja took us on a funicular up to Heidelberg Castle. It is this Gothic masterpiece that makes Heidelberg a place out a fairy tale. It was built and repeatedly extended between the 13th and 17th centuries and was extinguished by the Thirty Years’ War and the 1689 war with France. Despite it now being in ruins, it is viewed as one of Germany’s most beautiful gems. 

One of the things I was most excited to see in Germany was Heidelberg Castle and it definitely exceeded my expectations. I was the secretary of my drama club in high school, so it was awesome discovering the Castle has a stage where it regularly puts on productions. My only wish during the trip was that we arrived a few days earlier so I could have seen their recent production of Romeo & Juliet. Another part of the Castle I enjoyed was the Heidelberg Tun, the world’s largest wine barrel. Back when it was constructed in 1751, it held 221, 726 liters. Today, due to the drying of the wood, it can only hold 219,000 liters. 

After Sonja's tour, I toured the University of Heidelberg’s student prison. Founded in 1386, this university is the oldest university in Germany and is basically the nation’s Harvard. From 1778 to 1914, the University of Heideilberg could imprison their students from 24 hours to 4 weeks for any rule breaking. The students were still allowed to attend lectures, so the prison was more like a restrictive dormitory, and those in residence would occupy their time grafting the walls to immortalize their stay. It was not uncommon for a student to create mischief just to be sent there so they could be with their friends. I thought touring the University Prison was a unique experience because prior to it I had never heard of a university prisoning its students.  Overall, I was impressed with the way the University had preserved the prison. With the pristine graffiti and the smell of urine lingering in the air, you would have had no idea that the prison has been out of service for a hundred years. 

Following a midday lunch break of sausages and beer, I climbed to the top of Heiliggeistkirche, the most famous church in Heidelberg. It stands in the middle of the market place in the old center of Heidelberg and is the city’s oldest sanctuary. It’s steeple dominates the city, and climbing all 208 steps to the top was terrifying. There is only one staircase that takes you up and down and it just so happens to be a narrow spiral one. I found myself clinging to the wall to ensure I wouldn't fall to my death, but once at the top, as just like everything I had been seeing in Germany, it was to die for! 

From the Heiliggeistkirche, I did some more intense climbing at Philosopher’s Walk. Built in 1817 on the slopes of Heiligenberg and at an altitude of 650 feet, the Philosopher’s Walk offers a magnificent view of the city. My professor told us the reason for its’ name is you’re suppose to have either philosophical thoughts or discussions during the climb and when I ascended with him and two other student we did indeed have some stimulating talks about death and identity. 

Now that is a vista you could talk about for a long time if you can find words to describe it!

My stay in Heidelberg went out with bang.There are three times every summer when the well-known Schlossbeleuchtung and fireworks display happens and they are the first Saturday in June and September and the second Saturday in July, which was when I was there. 

The castle lighting is done in memory of the three times when the castle went up in flames (1689, 1693, and 1764). The first two times were due to wars with the French, and the last time by lightning. After the flames in the Castle gradually faded, it was time for part two- the fireworks launched off of the Old Bridge.These fireworks symbolized when the Elector-Palatine, Friedrich V, first brought his newlywed bride, Elizabeth Stuart (daughter of James I of England), back to Heidelberg in 1613 and he arranged for her to be greeted with a  fireworks display. It was the best fireworks display I'd ever seen, even surpassing the ones in Disney! 

Stay tuned for my next post on Munich! 

Worms

The theme of my blog this summer has been that of bucket lists and one of the reasons why I have been on a bit of a hiatus from my little corner of the internet is because back in July I was actually away experiencing one of my top ones. 

Ever since I was nine years old, I have dreamed of studying abroad. It was at this age, my older cousin, Stephanie, spent a semester Down Under. I had never heard of study abroad prior to her departure, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world that while a person was still in college they could spend some time in another country, absorbing its culture, for credit. I can still vividly  remember gathering around the computer with my family and reading her e-mails detailing her adventures. One picture in particular that stood out is one of her feet just before she jumped out of a plane to sky dive. I wanted nothing more than at that moment but to reach through the screen and take the plunge into the unknown. 

I started research on programs during my freshman year, and the past two years have been a discouraging time trying to find one that wouldn’t cost me one of my kidneys. Just when I thought all hope was lost, my best friend, Angela, went online and found a two week trip to Germany through my university. Last July, she went on a faculty led trip to Italy with her university. Suffice to say, she was determined to not see me miss out on an unforgettable opportunity.

Our first Deutschland destination was Worms. We were here for an hour long pit stop before we made our way to our first stop in Heidelberg and here is an assortment of pictures I took while I was there. Be sure to stay tune for September 1st, which is when my post on Heidelberg will be live.

This Rhineland-Palatinate city's most famous visitor was Martin Luther, who was the leading figure in the Protestant Reformation. He came to Worms in April of 1521 when he was asked to appear before the Imperial Diet. It was here he refused to renounce his views and the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, declared him an outlaw. 

This mosaic on the balcony of the Holy Trinity Church, the largest Protestant church in Worms, illustrates the trial for Luther of heresy. 

The other symbol of Worms is  dragons. Everywhere I turned I kept seeing countless dragons in sculptures, fountains, and figurines. Worms in one of Germany’s oldest cities and that there used to be folk talk here about a dragon that was going to smash the city unless he got a townsperson a day as a sacrifice.  Worms is also the setting for the epic poem, “The Nieblungenlied.” In this poem, the hero Siegfried is a dragon-slayer who bathed in the blood of a dragon he’d killed. The dragon on the city coat of arms is believed to be the dragon from ‘The Nieblugenlied.’

This  mural reminded me of the scene from “The Hobbit” when Bilbo runs into Smaug. 

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Glazed Doughnut Shop

June 15, 2015 

In my previous blog post, I talked about summer bucket lists and recently I got to check off one of the items on my personal bucket list by visiting my high school friend, Jen, in her adoptive home of Amherst, Massachusetts. It was my first time visiting this Pioneer Valley town and I completely fell in love with its quaint urban setting,literary history, and prestigious academia. Since it was National Doughnut Day during one of the days I was there, Jen and I  hit up Amherst’s fun and creative doughnut shop, Glazed! I apologize in advance if you are participating in Junkfood-Free June!

Glazed Doughnut Shop produces delicious doughnuts with a variety of glazes and unique toppings. They are made by hand everyday, nice and fresh for you. Though I don’t have any dietary needs, I like that this place also carries an assortment of gluten and vegan-free doughnuts. If you have a minimum order of $10 you can have your doughnuts delivered for a $2 charge! 


Here are some of their flavors I brought home for my family and friends- cookies ’n cream, peanut butter, caramel, and coconut. Some of their other signature items include orange ginger, maple bacon, and lemon raspberry. 

 

   

Don't tell me you're not drooling! 

Another cool thing about Glazed is it’s story. 

“Owner/operators Nick and Keren Rhodes grew up in Amherst, Ma.  In fact we are Amherst High School sweethearts.  After living in New York, and Conneticut, a stint in medical school, several businesses, and two children later, we find ourselves back in our hometown sharing what we love.  High quality, delicious, gourmet doughnuts.” 

This fall I will be a senior in college and I still have no idea what my dream job is. There are just too many things that excite me and make me curious. A  question I’ve grown to hate lately is “what do you want to be when you grow up?” because you're asked that question from a young age, and everybody always expects you to answer it with a type of job, and it just shatters people with this idea that your worth and identity is measured solely through a career. We need to take ourselves as seriously as the act of eating a donut. I really like that Nick and Keren Rhodes are the type of people who believe in the idea that our lives can be multi-purpose because I don't believe that each person has a one, true calling. To quote Oscar Wilde, "between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll.The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!" 


19 N. Pleasant Street
Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 
(413)-230-6811

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