5 Must-Sees of Puerto Rico

With the polar vortex not taking a hint and leaving, it's cold here in Indiana. So cold I forgot what it feels like to be warm. I'm going to take a walk down memory lane, however, and reminisce about our week-long getaway to Puerto Rico this past Thanksgiving.

The palm-tree lined beaches of Luquillo and Culebra coupled with fresh seafood and island music provided the perfect island getaway. With temperatures in the 80's and the sun always shining, we didn't hesitate to enjoy every last minute of our vacay.

Puerto Rico has been a commonwealth of the United States since before the 1900's. It's home to American-style roads, many American retailers, such as Shoe Carnival and Walmart, and English is an official language, along with Spanish. The U.S. dollar is the currency, and if you're American, you do not need a passport to visit. I found the mix of Spanish language, Caribbean life, and American influence to create such an interesting, vibrant feeling.

The following Puerto Rican gems are in no particular order, but are all worthy of a visit.

1. El Yunque National Forest

El Yunque National Rainforest overlooking Luquillo

As the only rainforest in the U.S.,  El Yunque National Park provided a tropical fauna-filled backdrop to a morning hike. We took the 25 minute trail to La Mina Falls, a very easy hike suitable for families with children of all ages. Our destination, the falls,had a natural pool for wading. Make sure to get an early start though because not soon after we arrived, so did a swarm of other tourists. On your way out of the park, stop for a refreshing coconut at the snack shack.

Sara, Derek & Adam in the falls

Love the foliage!

We had to stop for fresh coconuts on the way out of the park. They were chopped open with a machete.

2. Local Cuisne - Mofongo

Mofongo

After looking around on Trip Advisor, we settled on El Rincon del Sabor, a local restaurant in the back of a local souvenir shop, with the owner as our waiter and the food prepared by his wife. There was not much seating, but we snagged a table and enjoyed a Puerto Rican specialty- Mofongo. Comprised of mashed plantains and a delicious meat sauce, the meal was flavorful and unique. Other local dishes include fresh seafood and pina coladas!

Coconut Shrimp & Rice

3. Culebra

Playa Flamenco

Puerto Rico has two large islands off of its northeast coast - Culebra and Vieques. Both are easily accessible from the harbor of Fajardo. For less than $5 roundtrip, we cruised to Culebra and visited the world famous beach - Playa Flamenco. If you're in the mood for powder white sand, crisp blue sky and water that holds numerous shades of blue, then go here. Disappointment is not possible, unless of course you miss the ferry in Fajardo. I recommend arriving to the ferry terminal atleast an hour before departure. We took the early ferry to Culebra (and even saw a sea turtle along the way!) and after a 10 minute taxi ride to Flamenco, we settled under a palm tree and wished the day would never end.

4. Old San Juan

Exploring the vast fields of El Morro

You can't visit the island of Puerto Rico without visiting Old San Juan for at least a day. Resembling a small European town but with more heat, Old San Juan satisfied all of our shopping and sightseeing needs for the trip. The town has two forts - Castillo de San Cristóbal and  Fort San Felipe del Morro. El Morro, the more popular of the two forts provided sweeping views of both countryside and sea. Stand on the fortress walls and imagine incoming ships appearing on the horizon.

Old San Juan emanates a friendly, vibrant feeling of Caribbean life and Puerto Rican hospitality.

Exploring the walls of El Morro

El Morro

Quaintness of Old San Juan

5. Luquillo Beach

For a relaxing, calm beach close to San Juan but away from the touristy crowds, visit Luquillo Beach. We stayed in the small town of Luquillo, about 5 minutes away from this expansive park. With a rainforest view to our left and calm, warm water to float in, we spent a wonderful Thanksgiving Day soaking up the sun and relaxing on this well-known beach. For a quick, local lunch, visit one of the 60+ kioskos outside of the park perimenters. You can't go wrong with a Puerto Rican taco or empanada!

Playa Luquillo

I've really only brushed the surface of this magnificent island. For accomodations away from the tourist areas of San Juan, I recommend this condo unit. I'd also highly recommend renting a car, it's the only convenient way to get around the island. For a more detailed look at our trip to Puerto Rico, read my sister's blog.

Mountain Time in CO

Snow Field on Peak 8

Since my last post, Derek and I have traveled to Minnesota, Denver, Michigan, and I've traveled to Seattle. Our latest adventure a week ago took us to Denver, Colorado for a second time and the small mountain resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado.

If you've been craving fresh air, a cool breeze, challenging climbs, and rewarding views, you need to make your way into the Rocky Mountains, and preferably to Breckenridge. Since my twin sister decided to move to Denver last summer, I'm now forced (willingly) to travel to Colorado on a semi-regular basis and this past time, the entire Logel clan decided to make a family trip out of it. My mom secured a condo in the mountains and after a 1.5 hour drive from Denver into the mountain town of Breckenridge, we arrived to our weekend getaway.

Derek, Nick and Ryan

One of the Breckenridge ski resort areas

The town of Breckendridge is filled with quaint boutiques, local eateries and plenty of lingering-worthy cafes. It's surrounded by snow-topped peaks and blue skies. We started our adventure with a free ride up the mountain gondola, where we enjoyed a steep climb to a snow field and then enjoyed a cold local beer in the ski resort restaurant.

Lilly Pad Lake: Friday

View from Lilly Pad Lake trail head

On Friday we awoke with a goal of hiking an easy, altitude-adjusting hike near Silverthorne. Overlooking Lake Dillon, the start of the hike provided breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. The hike was about 1.5 miles one-way and was a great welcome to the mountains. I'd recommend this lake for anyone looking for a mild adventure, with gorgeous views.

That night, we visited the Breckenridge Brewery where we sampled some delicious local brew and then ordered take out pizzas for a night-in of board games.

Derek and I

Lake Dillon

Mountain wild flowers everywhere.

Along the trail

At Lillypad Lake

Mohawk Lakes: Saturday

The first Mohawk Lake

Recommended by a friend, Mohawks Lake was a challenging, exhilarating climb. Just five minutes from the town center, the trail head for this hike welcomed us into a pine forest with cool, fresh mountain air and an uphill grade almost the entire time. After about 1.5 hours, we came to a clearing where we were welcomed by the not-so-pleasant site of cars. We could have cut off the entire first part of the hike! But, it was all part of the experience.

We continued up the trail to a waterfall, mountain lake and old mining cabins. Climbing straight up a mountain with oxygen decreasing as the altitude increased was a challenge, but just taking a peek around to see the landscape was enough motivation to keep us going. Our end goal was the first Mohawk Lake, and when we reached it after 3.5 miles of hiking uphill, we were thrilled! It was gorgeous - reflections lined the lake, with snowy mountain peaks rising not far from where we stood, almost above tree line. For four of us - Derek, Ryan, Sara and myself, we had to keep going. If you continue to climb up, you'll find several more mountain lakes, each a little higher than the last. We walked about 15 minutes further and found the second Mohawk Lake. Another gorgeous site, the lake even ran into a stream that provided delicious mountain stream water that Sara and I enjoyed for the hike down.

Abby and Mom hiking along

Up we go.

And up some more

Abby and Ryan at the waterfall.

Derek and I at the 2nd Mohawk Lake

Heading down from the 2nd lake

Sara and I

Heading down from the second

All the girls at the first Mohawk Lake

Love this view!

First Mohawk Lake

Mountain flowers

Dad taking in the view

Although this hike was pretty tough for the rare mountain hikers that we are- it was definitely worth it! Wildflowers dotted the mountainside and big-horn sheep and goats dotted the mountaintops. Bring lots of water, a protein bar and hiking shoes, and you're ready to go.

That night, we visited the Wild Women Winery in Breckenridge town center. With Naked Pete playing the piano, the winery livened up with an atmosphere similar to a Howl at the Moon. We even got my dad singing by requesting some of his favorites. The winery even offered massages, so Ryan enjoyed a 10 minute birthday massage in between sips of his favorite Tempranillo vino. Overall, the weekend was a wonderful mix of exploration and relaxation. I'm ready to go back!

A New Job and Update

Our attempt at a family photo in our St. Patty's shirts

I figured it's time for an update. Often times I have flashbacks to the German train stations or checking into a bed and breakfast and these small memories make me miss our German life quite a bit. It's memories and moments like those that we get to hold forever as we continue into the next chapter of our adventure together. The last few weeks have been busy but good. When it rains, it pours and Derek and I have been blessed with wonderful family, friends, and now, two jobs.

After a few months of resume editing, networking, emailing and job searching, I have a new job and start next week. As the Marketing Specialist at HCC Medical Insurance Services, I will have a wide array of responsibility including campaign management, vendor relations and public relations/media relations. As with many marketing positions, I'm sure my responsibilities with reflect the current task at hand and involve versatility and adaptability. That's what I love about marketing. The company sells travel insurance -  and most marketing campaigns revolve around different travel topics. It's a needed product, and the popularity of travel insurance is growing. As I told the team in my interview, this is my roundabout way of getting into the travel industry! Needless to say, I'm thrilled for this opportunity. I'm looking forward to getting back into the marketing and communications network in Indianapolis and beyond and continuing to grow and develop my skills.

In other news, my car died last Friday. That was great fun! Luckily, as my car started huffing and puffing, I was driving alongside a giant church parking lot and was able to pull in and keep my car in the parking lot overnight. Long story short, my car will soon be in its final resting place as a donation or junkyard scrap. After looking for new cars all weekend, we settled on a great Subaru find in Lafayette  We'll be returning on Friday to pick it up.

Last week Derek and I went wine tasting at a local wine store that offered free tastings from 11 Italian wine makers. The weekend before, Derek and I spent time in my hometown of Evansville - it's always nice to go home. Stuart and Simba are getting along much better, and seem to really enjoy each other's company. Until our next adventure...

Stuart's pretty sweet

Naptime for the boys

The new car

Experiment in the kitchen: Greek yogurt souffle (I got the recipe here. ) Great light dessert.

Experiment 2: Banana cupcakes with homemade cream cheese icing. One word: Delicious