A few things at work had scheduled me in the Maine/Vermont area. I had scheduled to take my college friend, Dawn, mom and my aunt with as well for a little weekend get-away. It turned out that, one by one, mom's travel buddies backed out or became ill so mom and I ended up travelling out alone and meeting Dawn.
Our first night we stayed in Burlington, VT. I was supposed to have driven over to Maine for some work and it was fairly close so we stayed right on the shores of Lake Champlaign. It was really pretty with the sun setting over it.
We ended up having to take mom back to the airport and putting her on a flight home as something had happened with her knee and she was having a hard time walking and was just wanting to go home. That was quite an adventure arranging all that. But she did get on the flight and made her connections and got back home where my brother, Alan, picked her up. She has an order in from her doctor for her to go and get her knee x-rayed on Saturday. We'll see what they have to say.
It was a little disappointing, though, as we were staying at the Trapp Family Lodge (as in Von Trapps). Dad and mom were supposed to have stayed there a few years ago but, funny, dad was having knee problems then so I ended up having to cancel their room and they never got there. Now, mom has something with her knee and she doesn't wind up there. Sad :(
Later in the day, before it closed at 5, we got in to Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory for a tour. It was kind of interesting, but nothing too great. They did have the Scoop Shop there, though, with ice cream flavors that they don't sell anywhere else. They had this one awesome one - it was Coconut Seven Layer Bar with coconut, choclate and graham cracker. Oh - Cake Batter was the best with cake batter and swirls of choclate frosting.... YUM!
After the tour, we went "out back" to the flavor graveyard where some of the more popular retired flavors are "buried". There are actually about 450 flavors total that have been retired (including one of my favorites, S'mores). It was kind of cute.
We hit B & J's on the way to the Trapp Family Lodge where we checked in around 6ish. So - I had actually paid for ahead of time, rooms with two beds in them. I had even looked at pictures. But, they end us bringing us up to a room with one king bed in it. So, I call to say this is not what I had bought and the guy I'm talking to is asking me how many people we have and basically saying that this room was an appropriate room then with only two people. When I say that no, we want two separate beds, he tells me that there are two beds in the room and I tell him, no, I'm standing here looking at one. THEN - this is what he says, "No, there are two. The sofa is a bed". WHAT?! This is a hotel. I have prepaid, $200 a night, for a room with two ACTUAL beds - I had even seen a picture! When you pay $200 for two beds -- the sofa SLEEPER does not count as a bed. He continued to tell me if we had more than 2 people than maybe they could do something more to help. Well, lets just say, when you're whiny enough, you get what you want - sometimes :) This time it worked :) We got the room that I saw in the pictures when I "bought" the reservation.
My take on the rooms is - its a cross between Christian Conference Center room, home done hotel room. There are stencils all over and the curtains are kind of country cliche. The bathroom is totally like a college dorm room bathroom. Its definitely nothing upscale or wonderful. But, I've heard the ski trails and all else makes up for it.
We did have dinner down in the dining room which was a pretty nice place. It looked like it was more recently redone. I had Weiner Schnitzel in honor of dad who never got here - it was actually close to wonderful (except they put ligionberries on it - blech). Oh, I think mom's spaetzels are way better! The apple streudel was pretty good too but too many raisins....
We'll learn more about everything as the weekend moves on, but, I did learn today that Maria was 22 when she married Captain Von Trapp -- who was 47!!!!!!!!!! He was 25 years older than her when they got married. Weird! His sons looked like they should have been with Maria.
Over and out for tonight!
Tomorrow we ski!
A good read; although difficult to hear hotel horror stories - especially when you work in one. This place sounds like they could use some work in how they market their hotel, which sounds more misleading than informative. Anyway - I hope mom's knee is feeling better, and that you have a good accident-free day of skiing. (Nothing worse than a tree in the face at 30 mies per hour to ruin your day!)
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