So this past week I received confirmation that I would indeed be going to Bangalore, India on business. The team I am a lead of at work is getting a supporting team built in Bangalore. Since one of my direct(someone who reports to me) will be going over there to start training the new team, I will be joining for safety reasons. Plus since I am there I will assist the managers their in talent acquisition for other senior members of the secondary team that is being assembled. I will be in Bangalore for about a week. Our flight, direct’s and mine not Amy, on Air France will leave Minneapolis/St. Paul and fly to Paris, France. In Paris we will have a one and a half hour lay over and then from Paris to Bangalore.
In previous domestic traveling with the company cost has been king when it comes to flights and accommodations. Apparently when it comes to international, or at least India, cost is not a big concern. In fact higher cost is directly associated with more “safety” and necessary “comfort”. I will be getting to flight Business class, first time, and staying in what I am told is one of the most luxurious hotels in Bangalore, the Leela Palace. Honestly it looks way to rich for my blood, the kind of place where I am at a discomfort with the feeling of I do not belong.
So now it is time to get all my documents in order like a work visa, get inoculations, and all of that other fun stuff. I am hoping to get a decent amount of free time to tour the city and whatnot so we shall see.
~Nathan
So Nathan just got the yes for going to India for work. He will be gone for 9-days in August. 4 of those 9-days will be spent traveling to and from India.
I am soooo jealous!!! I know he’ll be working most of the time that he’s there, but still, INDIA!!!!
His next work trip out there I will for sure be going on 
~Amy
I found a good deal to Cozumel this week and really wanted to book it. But Nathan was hesitant to do Mexico again, he wanted me to look and see if I could find anything else…
So off I went to see what I could find. Greatness is what I found…
We are going to Puerto Rico for 9 nights over school break in January (for almost the same price as 7 in MX!)! It is going to be so amazing. There is so much to do and see there, we are so excited!
We’ll be staying 3-nights in San Juan and 6-nights in Rincon. Our Inn in Rincon has an outdoor kitchen right on the beach! I can’t wait to make meals with the ocean right there…
The Bacardi factory is also on PR so we’ll visit that. We’re also going to hike through a rainforest, snorkel, mountain bike, and visit the bioluminescent bays at night. There is so much to do in Puerto Rico, I can hardly wait…
!!!!Excited fingers!!!!
~Amy
I’ve recently taken an interest in wine. It’s fun to drink and it’s not a beverage that you easily over drink.
Well I recently learned that our lovely state is home to many wineries. When I found this out I realized we need to go to one! How fun would it be to see how wine is made and to see a local vineyard? So my research began, and I found Winehaven in Chisago City up near Taylor’s Falls and it just so happened they were having their Raspberries and Wine festival this weekend! So this week I bought a bottle of their Gewurztraminer grape wine and tasted it with Polly to ensure that we do like at least one of their wines (It was absolutely delish! Better than the german Gewurztraminer wines I’ve had). So this afternoon Nathan, Polly, and I headed up to Winehaven to check out the festival.
Upon arriving we parked in the owner’s front yard and headed out to the back. It was reminiscent of a good old MN graduation open house! Tents, music, BBQ, liquor all placed in a quaint garden area surrounded by the vineyards and rhubarb plants.
They had a free tasting going on so we sampled a few wines then bought our $4 pulled pork sandwiches with raspberry BBQ sauce and enjoyed lunch. After lunch we went on the tour.
The tour was so informative and a pleasure to listen to our guide, he is the son of the owner and the winery is their family business. He led us into the vineyard and told us about grapes and the growing process. We were told about their Ice Wine and how it won 3rd place recently in a prestigious competition. Ice wine is made by allowing the grapes to freeze then they make wine from frozen grapes. We were able to sample this after and it is truly a dessert wine as he said. So delectably sweet but at $30 a bottle for 2/3 the size of a normal bottle it was out of my price range (I did walk away with a $13 Riesling though!)
After the vineyard he brought us into the winery. We now know how to tell the difference between a red wine distiller and a white wine distiller
After the tour Nathan encouraged me to buy a glass of wine so I could get the souvenir cup, that man knows the desires of my heart! I am always a sucker for a good souvenir cup (or tshirt or whatever, lol…). I bought a glass of the Strawberry Rhubarb wine, a bit sweet, and a completely unexpected taste but it was enjoyed!
Anywho, that was our first winery experience. I very much am looking forward to another one. I think we’re going to try and hit up another Minnesota Winery in September when harvest season begins. I need another souvenir cup 
Related
WineHaven Winery and Vineyard
Weekend Winery
~Amy
