Hello travelers of the world! It’s been a rough couple of years for us huh? With this whole global pandemic and being confirmed to one place for so long. Thank God for science and vaccines, and the ability to start moving around a bit more because of these.
So it’s been a while, but we were finally able to take a trip off the rock. 18 months on 166 sq miles (when I am used to travelling 4 – 6 times a year for work/pleasure) has been a long time, but I am so grateful for the chance to travel again and see new places, and more importantly family that we have not seen in a while.
Traveling in a pandemic with an almost 2-year-old – not the easiest but worth the challenges to be able to see my sister and experience a change of scenery. Chris and I both got vaccinated as soon as we possibly could, and then took the last-minute chance to travel with Nina before she turned 2 (arrived back in Barbados 3 days before her birthday) so we could benefit from not having to purchase airline seats for her.
Our first stop was Miami, to spend some time with both of my sisters and check out Sav’s beautiful new apartment in downtown Miami. Nina loved the view from the condo and Chris and I just loved the change of pace and exploring a new area of Miami where we haven’t really been before.
A highlight on the Miami agenda was WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING! I was so happy that I was able to be there with my sisters and family to watch Sav try on her first beautiful white dress and be there when she found the one! 😊
We also got to see the “kid-friendly” side of Miami by exploring all of the amazing parks, and even hitting up a part of South Beach that I had never been to. It was such a beautiful day and so fun to be outside and in the sun.
From Miami, we took a flight to Atlanta, GA. When Savannah and I were planning this trip, all we wanted was to stay in a beautiful cabin in the woods and get in some quality family time. We picked Blue Ridge as it was a short enough drive with a small toddler, but yet still gave us that mountain feel with a cute town nearby to do fun things. When looking for a cabin we had a list of prerequisite: 1) beautiful mountain top view 2) jacuzzi on site and 3) easily accessible via car 4) outdoor fire pit so we can teach Nina about the amazing treat called S’Mores – and this cabin was the perfect find! A bonus feature was the beautiful big dining table that we ate family dinner at every night (no restaurants were really open – covid and all)
The first day we explored the main street of Blue Ridge – so cute!
The next day we went to Mercier Orchards, unfortunately they didn’t have any fruits available for picking but we picked up some delicious pies, browsed their adorable gift shop and even tried out a flight of their ciders. That same afternoon we took a short hike up to a waterfall in Cherry Log and Nina loved checking out the cold water and the pretty rocks.
Our third day consisted of a day trip out to Helen, GA. This is a Germany designed town and it so fun to walk the streets and eat the food from a European country, in the middle of Georgia. We also did the Georgia Mountain Coaster which gave us the adrenaline charge to make it through the rest of the day!
Our last full day of the trip was spent on the beautiful Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. It was such a picturesque adventure as we sat in the open-air portion of the train for 26-mile trip along the Toccoa River.The journey includes a two-hour layover, in the small southern sister towns of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennesse, where we had lunch and browse around the quaint little shops.
Then we came to our last day, we moved out of our beautiful cabin early and took a quick jaunt through the Sasquach museum (yes this is a real place!) And then headed into Atlanta for our flight. We really wanted to go to the Atlanta aquarium, but with covid and the need to pre-purchase tickets, they were all sold out. Instead we went to lego land – which was a bit of a disappointment as it was a very small, very congested “park” within a mall. Once Nina fell down and bumped her mouth in the playpark area, we made a quick exit.
Back in Miami, we spent the last few days celebrating Nina’s 2nd birthday early so my family could all get a chance to sing “Happy Birthday” and watch her blow out the candles. It was such a special time and I am so glad we made the decision to go on this trip, even with the uncertainty that came with traveling in a pandemic.
We did have to do a one-night hotel quarantine while awaiting our PCR test results for the tests that were administered while at the airport in Barbados. But we did our quarantine night at Beach View Hotel, where we were allowed to use the pool. So it just ended up feeling like one additional night of vacation and a sweet end to an amazing trip.
Off the Rock 