My Mini-Break

Mini-Break. Thats what they call short vacations or weekends away in Britain. At least thats what I learned by reading British chick-lit and watching Bridget Jones. So I partook (is that a word?) in a mini-break up in Watkins Glen, New York. Thats Schuyler County and Watkins Glen sits right on Seneca Lake, the largest of the finger lakes in New York State. What a beautiful area! Watkins Glen is actually a village! It's a small town that (with the exception of a yucky Walmart) is wonderfully uncommercialized. In lieu of a Starbucks, there are two delightful cafe/coffehouses. One is a bookshop, the other is a deli-cafe. There is a fabulous bar and grille that brews its own beer! It is called the Crooked Rooster in case y'all were wondering. There is plenty of fun to be had in this town and Robin and I sure did have fun!

We stayed at a rustic and clean motel which combined the wooded atmosphere of a campground with the convenience of bathrooms and televisions. Our first day, we enjoyed activities such as walking near the water, checking out the shoppes and buying some important supplies, such as Zima, hand sanitizer and a beach towel (I know, I forgot). Lucky us, they were featuring a free movie in the park! So Robin and I layed under the stars and watched Hitch! It was a cute movie!

Wednesday was a big day for us. We started the day bright and early by patronizing our favorite cafes in town and then hit the kayak rental on the lake at 10 AM. The water was smooth as glass and we were excited to hit the lake in our double kayak rental. I've kayaked a couple times before, but this was Robin's first time. We were sailing smoothly, until we realized we kayaked too far out and the water was too rough to kayak back. As hard as we paddled, we kept going in circles. But its okay. We got rescued and "towed" back. I hope to go kayaking again before school starts. On smoother waters.

After kayaking, it was time to hike the Gorge trail at Watkins Glen State Park. It was a 3 mile round trip hike. Intense and lots of stairs but gorgeous and worth every second. I treated myself to a full fat but delicious ice cream but deserved it after the kayaking and hiking.

We also enjoyed visiting a couple wineries. I brought home four bottles of wine and can not wait to pop them open! Another highlight of the trip was visiting Farm Sanctuary. Its an animal rescue farm--there are actually two of them, one in New York and one in California. Check out my pictures and then check out the website to find out more about what they do over there. Its an amazing place!