A Cottage for Two

In the past, I was always looking to Sal to see if we would be able to afford a day trip or a weekend getaway. Since landing a full-time job, I have been able to spend more money to travel, both near and far. I had a three day weekend recently, and decided that I wanted to get away with Sal for a night. We looked at locations with wineries in Pennsylvania, and then asked for recommendations from friends. Luckily, Kristyn over at Creative with Kristyn, one of my friends I met through Tone It Up, suggested the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. Once we heard there was a trail, there was no way we could pass up the opportunity. While we could have just stayed in an inexpensive hotel, I wanted to make it more memorable, giving us the feel that we were all alone in the country. That was when I found Glasbern Inn, and their small, cozy cottages for two. I was hesitant at first to click reserve, but when I did, I found that the excitement was starting to build. Whenever Sal and I have plans to go away, I get nervous, and my heart starts to beat fast. We've been away plenty of times, but that feeling doesn't seem to fade, which is quite exciting. It makes me live in the moment and be aware of everything going on around me, not what's happening on social media. We don't turn on the TV or check our phones; we just enjoy the days together.

We set off rather early, and still arrived before check-in, so we decided to explore the town, heading to the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. We walked around, peeking in the windows of all of the shops, but not going in, because we're not shoppers, quite frankly, unless we need anything. Instead, we noticed that our hunger was starting to strike, and so we decided to eat lunch at one of the restaurants, which reminded me a lot like Panera. Afterwards, we headed back to the Clover Hill Winery, a beautiful, modern winery, where we tried impeccable wine. The views were incredible, even on a cloudy day, and I felt so warm and welcome as soon as we walked inside. We ended up buying a bottle of wine or two. Since it was still early, we headed to another winery nearby, Vyncrest Vineyards and Winery, which had a more farm feel to it. The lady who served us our wine was extremely friendly, and some a wine was great. We bought another bottle or two while we were there.

We headed to our cottage to check in, and instantly fell in love. We walked into our cottage and knew we could live there forever if we had to (okay, no one would even need to force me to live there).  A fireplace, a small couch for two, a sleep number bed, AND a jacuzzi upstairs, what else does one need? After we settled in and cuddled up on the couch for a few, we decided to explore the grounds, and we took a long walk, noticing the color of the trees changing, the animals who provided everyone that lived there and visited with meat, eggs, and everything in between. We held hands as we walked in silence. We were back in the cottage before we knew it, but not before we raced up the hill, which may or may not have led to no where. After cleaning off, we headed to dinner in the main farm house, dressed to impress. We ordered drinks, and looked over the menu, where over half of the apps and entrees were made farm-raised and home-grown. We both ordered salads, fresh from their garden with fruits and nuts. Then the main course arrived; Sal had ordered the steak with fries, and I had ordered the pork loin with veggies and potatoes. Though the size was rather small, it was delicious, and it left us with room for dessert. Most of the time when we go out, we never have room for dessert, so this was a great treat! I had the pumpkin cheesecake, which was probably one of the best that I've ever had, and Sal had the chocolate cake, which was so rich and decadent, I could only try one bite.

We ran down the cobblestone road in the rain to our cottage. Neither of us had thought to bring a jacket or umbrella to dinner, making it quite an exhilarating run! We lit a fire in the fireplace, and immediately started running the jacuzzi up the spiral stairs, popping open a bottle of strawberry wine and pairing it with the chocolate wine we had bought in NY. The night ended with us playing Hangman, because I refused to let us be sucked into the TV. While I never did find my number, I fell asleep before I knew it.

The next morning we awoke, and remembered that they were serving farm raised breakfast, and while it took us awhile to actually get out of bed, we were glad when we finally did. Breakfast was incredible, and I wish I could have had a second plate!

We had wanted to hike that day, but it was raining and so we ditched that plan. There were two more wineries we were to visit that day, so we packed up our things, and left our cottage behind, certainly not until after we snapped a picture of every inch. Blue Mountain Vineyards and Cellars was our first winery that day, and I was immediately put off by the look of the building, and eventually even more so when we walked inside. They had a dog walking around, and while I love dogs, I don't want to have one rubbing against my leg while I'm trying to taste wine. I wasn't a huge fan of the wine, but we did end up buying two bottles to make sangria with, hoping it tastes better with fruit in it. I was upset, but happy that it wasn't our last stop. Pinnacle Ridge Winery ended up being Sal's favorite, but I think that's because he instantly became friends with our wine tasting server. The wine there was great, and I loved the feel of the winery as soon as we walked in. You were able to see the barrels and barrels of wine, and although no one was making any, it had the distinct feel of a magical place. Sal told me it reminded him of his grandfather's basement, where he used to make wine. We were recommended to a pizza place for lunch, and while I'm usually weary of pizza any where other than in NJ or NY, we tried the place, and it ended up filling us up enough for our ride home.

I couldn't believe how fast our two days had gone, and though it didn't go exactly as we had planned, we made long lasting memories, and we made them together. Plans never go exactly like you planned, but I have found that it's better to focus on each and every solitary moment in a positive manner, than by focusing on the negative.