Think Happy Be Happy: Put-in-bay

and finally here is a post from me, and this is gonna be a post about one of my best days in America, about new experiences and adventures...

9.00 am. me and Michael arrived at Steve's and Nicole place. they were doing last minute preparations.. well Nicole was at least :)) then we got into Steve's car. Me and Nicole were on the backseat. we adjusted the seats and could relax and just watch the clouds and enjoy the drive.

at some point i fell asleep. when i woke up i saw a lot of boats around, and places renting boats. but we didn't slow down. so i figured it wasn't the place yet and went back to sleep.

and then we arrived... and i found out that we are going to take a ferry-boat to put-in-bay which was on an island! i had never been on a real boat or on a real island before! cedar point doesn't really count - there was a bridge and it was too close to the mainland anyway. i got so excited! and then i got a little bit worried because i felt underpacked. Me and Michael left the place free as the wind - without any bags or basically anything except my cam bag, sunglasses, and money :))) i was wondering if we'd need swimsuits. but then i decided that we would be fine and would find a way out of anything. Meanwhile it was our turn to get the tickets to the ferry. While we were waiting for the ferry itself me and Nicole were playing with cameras and taking photos... while our boys had to tolerate our buzz :))

and then! i walked on noard the ship! it was amazing and exciting! we waited a couple of minutes because some people were also taking their cars to the island (not to walk i guess). and then i experienced what it feels like how the ship rocks on the waves! i loved it so much! there i was with the wind in my hair, staring at the horizon.. there was our boat, the lake, and the sky, and occasional little islands of land here and there which seemed to be a joke in this vast water space.

there were a lot of people around but i felt detached and peaceful. well and over-excited i suppose. There were some "wave-riders" around our ferry. one of the motor-boats was carrying 3 girls who would scream every time the motor-boat would jump up-and-down.

Then we arrived at Put-in-Bay. i felt a little bit sorry that i had to go off the boat already but curiosity and the itch for new experiences and adventure made me forget about everything else once i set my foot on the island.

the first thing i saw was the lighthouse. those still make me happy and make me aww but i guess i'm the only one to do that. everybody else hass seen them so much that their eyes slide right past them... then me and Nicole ran into the first gift-store. there was a lot of interesting (and waaaay over-priced) stuff there. the one thing that stole my heart was a sail-boat made of shells (big ones). it was amazing... while we were in the store the guys were figuring out the transportation issue. the bus just left, and we didn't want to waste time on waiting. we looked around and saw a taxi-mini-van... with parrots with "parrot party" name on it. we picked inside and yes! there was a parrot there! one though but still! we were the first passengers, but in a second the mini-van was full!

the parrot was an african gray with clipped wings. so anybody could get it to sit on the arm and feed it with sunflower seeds which the driver would give out.

the driver was Dan. he gave us his visit cards which read "Dan-The-Man" :)). we were the last to get off and he gave free beads to me and Nicole - purple and green respectively. it was sweet of him.

Then we went to another gift-store and i saw... shark tooth necklace! but i ended up getting the other one - with a pirate sign on it.

then we bought a ticket for a so-called train. for armenian readers it was pretty much the same as the one carrying you from Mashtoc prospect to Kids' Railroad park. it worked as a route taxi and you get a sticker which you stick to your shirt. and you can ride that train as many times as you want during that day. also the driver tells facts about the island and some of its history.

so what was there on the island? oh god! a LOT! wineries, caves, crystal caves, butterfly house, chocolate factory, a tower, hotel, restaurants, and even an airplane line! i wish we could go to all of these.. but oh well - we will definitely go back there and will probably stay overnight!

the first thing to see was cave under the ground with stalactites and stalagmites! the entrance was through a little shoppe were you could get jewelcrafting supplies and basically what miners could find :) and of course some other stuff... pirate stuff for example.

so we went down, under the ground...

it was cold and damp there... a place that has never seen a ray of sunlight.

why does the sign say "Lion"? they say when you stay in there for long and stare at the same spot for a long time your imagination will find shapes... a better example was the owl.

The stalactites disappointed me.. they were tiny.

here are the photos of 4 adventurers :))

Steve's photo is from the other cave - the crystal one. that one was smaller and more interesting and beautiful...

Right after that cave we went to the winery. the tour wasn't really interesting - too many details on how and who makes those wines. then everybody got one free sample. we all got different ones to taste 4 kinds. the wine i tried was really good - it was semi-dry. Michael got a really, REALLY sweet one. it was impossible to even try it :)). Steve got a semi-sweet one as far as i remember and that one was pretty good too.

and there were interesting souvenirs there:

in between we went to the store of the butterfly house but didn't tour it as we were running out of time.

the last thing we saw was this tower..

me and Michael didn't go up and just sat down in front of it, right on the grass. it was nice to take the sandals off and just let the feet rest. we were talking about boats, islands, and pirates. after all those experiences it suddenly hit me - the pirates! i was never really interested in them and didn't care, but oh my god! i suddenly understood sailors and pirates... well pirates are mmm let's say more interesting. i know i am romanticizing but what's the big deal? i would make a good pirate and keep a scrapbook and put a little trinket from every person i killed or robbed. just kidding. :D

when Steve and Nicole were back it was time to leave. i didn't want to go but on the other hand i was to get on the ferry boat again! but as soon as we set sail i started missing that wonderful place called put-in-bay. the sun was setting, and it was a beautiful end to a wonderful day.