(I wrote this three weeks ago, but didn't post in time. I apologize for the delay.)
The Fourth of July Saturday was the first day since we started the program, there wasn't anything scheduled on my Outlook calendar. I went over to the Commons to soak in all the holiday spirit before having an excellent lunch at Moosewood. The house salad was a little plain, but the North African split pea soup and multigrain baguette were made to perfection. This restaurant is the pride of Ithaca, known for its healthy, natural vegetarian gourmet cuisine. It's located at the Dewitt Mall, a renovated historic brick school building in Downtown. The place was filled with relaxed, happy people. Quite a few of them stayed around the lobby and purchased souvenirs and the world-famous Moosewood cook books, which I strongly recommend.
In the afternoon I joined in a group of classmates to the Treman State Park just a few miles from the campus. There are more than 100 waterfalls and gorges around Ithaca. We have explored Taughannock Falls and Buttermilk Falls. The Lucifer Falls at the Treman Park was just as impressive. As we hiked up the winding, wooded 3-mile trail along the gorges, there was a beautiful waterfall at every turn. The scenic gorges however looked completely different on our way down from the other side. When we reached the Enfield Glen at the Lower Park, Pat cooled himself off by diving into the 62 degree water and swimming to the foot of the waterfall. I chickened out.The highlight of the day was a trip to Americana Winery, one of Nicu's favorite. The winery is 15 minute drive away just off 96. Although the winery was closed for the holiday, we were treated with a warm welcome and an excellent meal at the Cafe. Michel, a sales manager at Wines of Chile before coming to Cornell, is the wine expert in our class. In his opinion, due to the weather in the Finger Lake area, the local whites have better quality than the reds. At the dinner table, the Riesling was a little sweet for my taste, but the Cayuga White was fantastic. The food was even better. It was the best meal I had since I left California. The salmon was great, and the "lamburger" I had was delicious!
Chilling at the winery (L-R): Kamel, Drew, Katy, Sophie, Yours Truly, Pat and Nicu.I wish we could have more time to experience the summer in Ithaca, to explore the many parks, trails, and wineries in the Finger Lake area. The holiday weekend was a well-deserved break from our studies. I was recharged and ready for the second half of our summer schedule.
