Vermont Travel Notes

Nordic skating at Lake Morey VT

Nordic skating is a very old style of Scandinavian outdoor ice skating that many people find is an easy way to learn.

In fact, classes are taught here in Vermont at Lake Morey in the east central part of the state near the border with New Hampshire.

The classes go over selecting the right equipment for each individual, safety, types of ice surfaces, how to use a Nordic skating pole to test the strength of the ice, efficient skating technique, etc. Registration can be done online or by calling (802) 649-3939.

There is a fee of $25 for three hours of instruction, plus equipment rentals.

The website says that Nordic skates are "remarkably simple to learn on" and that Nordic skating poles make the skating easier for people without good balance.

The workshops will be taught January 17 and 18; January 24 and 25; and January 31 and February 1 at Lake Morey. On February 7 there will be an afternoon workshop on City Bay, Lake Champlain.


The longer blade on nordic skates is one of the reasons they help make it easier to learn ice skating

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

I was poking around some of my links a while back and discovered on the Alchemist Brew Pub blog that they are now serving tea.

Specifically, it's Kombucha tea, a sweet tea that originated in China centuries ago and is alleged to have some medicinal qualities.

According to the Alchemist blog, Kombucha is "fermented black tea that is loaded with antioxidants, amino acids and many different pro-biotic cultures." Whether or not that is good for you is up to you to decide.

The Alchemist Brew Pub opened about five years ago and was an immediate hit. We have had guests from all over the country tell us that a friend or relative recommended it to them as a "must see."

It is easy to find in downtown Waterbury VT. That link will take you to a Google map page that has another link to 20 reviews of the Alchemist.

They have very good food there by the way. They actually have a chef who prepares a short but wonderful menu. The portions are small but so are the prices - about $10 for an entree.

Be prepared for a wait if you arrive there after 6:00 pm most of the time even during off season for tourists. During holiday and fall foliage time, it is virtually impossible to get in unless you get there at the 4:30 pm opening time.

Our inn is only about four miles away so anytime it is too crowded, I can wait a few days or a week to get in without much of a wait. But if you do have to wait, it is well worth it.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

Here's an entertaining time burner. The Vermont Ski Areas Association has a game on their website called "Peg Your Friend."

You upload a picture of a friend which is then pasted into an animated character. When the game starts, the character/friend moves around the scenery while you use your mouse and cursor to follow and throw a snowball. The number of hits is recorded.

This will no doubt be the most meaningless thing you have done so far this year but you might win prizes such as Kombi gloves, Darn Tough socks, Eider apparel, Cabot cheese and other stuff in a random daily drawing.

Have fun!

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

One of the games on the Ben & Jerry's Halloween website pages is this "Undead Smackdown" (or ""Whack-A-Ghoul") game that I wasted about ten minutes playing. Use your mouse button to move the shovel and left click to bring the shovel down. Have fun!

I know from experience in talking with our inn's guests that many of them check the Ben & Jerry's website before they travel to Vermont (the company's Waterbury VT factory is about ten minutes from our facility). It is a very entertaining website with a mix of some seriousness thrown in once in a while.

If you go to the website, you can check the Ben & Jerry's Halloween page to find a lot of information including the history of Halloween, seasonal recipes, crafts, coloring book pages, safety tips, and some games. Note: when you go to the page and click on the Jack O Lantern, your pop-up blocker may prevent it from working. On Firefox browsers, click the bar above the web page and then click "Allow Pop-ups from benjerry.com." Then you can click the Jack O Lantern again to get into the website's Halloween section. Look at each page carefully and run your cursor over the various items that will then lead you to other pages.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

There are two unusual exhibits at the University of Vermont's Fleming Museum you may find interesting.

Buddha in Paradise at the Wolcott Gallery runs through December 19. It is about finding "Pure Lands" or paradise in western terms and is a collection of ancient paintings dating back to the 13th century. Also, during this week, October 15 - 22, Buddhist monks are constructing a circular painting called a mandala made from colored grains of sand to represent the universe. You are welcome to watch the construction and also the eventual destruction when it is cast into a pool of water, a part of the process that "symbolizes the impermanence of existence and the ideal of non-attachment to the material world."

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Architectural Improvisation: A History of Vermont's Design/Build Movement 1964-1977 runs through December 19 in the East Gallery. This unique exhibit looks at a group of architects who formed the Vermont Design/Build movement based on their Bauhaus theory education at Yale School of Architecture and the University of Pennsylvania Architecture program in the 1960s. These students, many of whom are still here in Vermont, set out to explore "radical social, technological, and aesthetic experiments."

I've seen several examples of their work around Waitsfield Vermont. Some are lacking in practicality, grace, ingenuity, creativity, advancement, longevity, or relativity but they are a magnetic curiosity and a great symbol of the futile side of the 60's. It's good that this approach did not go far and it's not surprising but sometimes you have to know what does not work in order to know what does work. This is an excellent body of work for the student of the 60's to know about.

The Yestermorrow school in Waitsfield VT is a product of this movement. It has an intriguing line up of classes.

The Fleming Museum's hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Wednesday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Saturday & Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Closed Mondays.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor

The next leaders of the free world. God help us.

In my September 21 entry, I mentioned that the Vermont Teddy Bear Company was selling Obama and McCain teddy bears. Now that the Vice Presidential candidates have been announced, Vermont Teddy Bear has rounded out the ticket with their four bears.

I had mentioned that it would be interesting to know which bear ticket was selling the most. In fact, if you look at the company's website, you will see that several thousand people have cast their "votes." You can do the same.

I was surprised to see that the McCain/Palin ticket was winning handily by about 2:1 over the Obama/Biden team - that certainly goes counter to all the polls I have seen lately.

Visit the company's Vermont stores In Shelburne VT and Waterbury Center VT, or order online the bears of your favorite candidates and don't forget to vote on November 4.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn