UK August-October 2013- Commando Memorial and Bridge of Oich

In the middle of a stunning valley near Ben Nevis, stands an enormous bronze statue of three soldiers that is dedicated to The British Commando Forces that fought in the Second World War.

I've experienced many war memorials, but what makes The Commando Memorial stand apart, is the setting. We were driving through the gorgeous countryside and then all of a sudden, there was this statue in the middle of nowhere. There are a few houses, but mostly just fields, with the memorial, just off of the main road.

If the soldiers in the statue could see, this would be their view.

In addition to The Commando Memorial , there was an Area of Remembrance for soldiers in commando units who have died in more recent wars.

The Commando Memorial was a very moving tribute and a must-stop on the drive towards Loch Ness.

As we continued our journey, the landscape shifted from green valleys to the nay blue shores of Loch Lochy. Loch Lochy is clearly the best name of any loch in Scotland. Say it five times fast. Go ahead!

A rock pile along the shore of Loch Lochy.

We continued to drive away from Loch Lochy and into farm country.

A sign that you would never see in Los Angeles.

In Fort Augustus, near the location of our Loch Ness night-stop, we discovered The Bridge of Oich.

The double suspension bridge was built in 1854 and is listed as a Historical Landmark.

There are so many beautiful places in Scotland and I have just begun! Stay tuned to find out if we spotted Nessy!

UK August-October 2013- Ben Nevis

Our drive towards Loch Ness continued with more unplanned stops. We had no idea that we were going to drive right past Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the British Isles.

It was raining heavily, but they were still running a gondola to the top. Many cyclists were taking the gondola to mountain bike down Ben Nevis' various bike trails. We opted for a round trip ticket. This is the only mountain gondola in Britain.

Tickets in hand, we boarded our gondola. The carriage could hold six, but felt small and claustrophobic with just the two of us. I felt like I was on a carny ride at a local fair! It had a small window at the top, which had been left open and the seats were covered in rain.

It was windy and the windows were pelted with rain during the entire ride. Quite frankly, it was a little bit scary!

I sat very still, as if my lack of movement might be what saved our lives! Dan thought it was hilarious and took a video of me admitting that I might not be "always packed for adventure".

It was a long way up and a long way down. Just when we thought that the ride must be over, we came to a mini-peak and noticed that we still had a long climb. It took about fifteen minutes (felt longer with the rain) and we climbed to 2150 ft on the north face of Aonach Mor.

Finally we reached the top.

In addition to being the start of the mountain bike trails and ski slopes, the top had a cafe and the Mountain Discovery Centre.

We walked around and saw a giant snow plow. Ben Nevis is gearing up for ski season.

The biggest snow plow that I've ever seen.

In the cafe we had comfort food for lunch.

On a clear day, I'm sure that the view is spectacular. Here is a picture of what we could have seen, if the cloud cover had not been so thick. All we saw was a blanket of solid grey.

As we stayed at the top a little longer, some of the clouds lifted and we were able to see the gondola.

We walked down a set of creeking metal stairs to visit the Mountain Discovery Centre, where we learned about the local wildlife and construction on the mountain.

My favorite thing at the discovery centre was this little bit of History.

This was tucked in around information about deer and pine martens.

We spent about two hours at Ben Nevis. I would love to return when the visibility is better and maybe try some of the ski runs.

Aria Sky Suites

When we decided to elope in Vegas, staying in a spectacular room was a big part of our plan. We picked a package that gave us one night in an Aria Sky Suite and we added an additional night to make it a full weekend.

Since we were short on time, we opted to fly to Vegas. Dan got off work a little early and his boss even drove us to Bob Hope International, so that we could relax and kick-off our weekend. I dressed up for the flight, so that time wouldn't be wasted in Vegas!

Our Southwest flight went off without a hitch.

At McCarran International, we had a limo driver waiting in baggage claim to drive us to the Clark County Marriage Bureau.

It took less than ten minutes to apply for our marriage license. There was no wait and Clark County allows you to preregister, which we did, so all the clerk had to do was print out our information and witness our signatures. It couldn't have been easier.

The limo driver whisked us back to the Aria and through the private entrance to the Sky Suites. The Sky Suites have a private valet area, check-in/concierge desk, elevators and a lounge. The entrances to the Sky Suites are very discreet from the casino floor and I probably would never have noticed them if I was a guest in the standard rooms.

We were checked in a matter of minutes and we headed straight to our suite.

When we entered our suite, we encountered a hallway and the first bathroom.

Next, we saw our wet bar. Concealed in the cabinet was a well stocked mini bar, as well as a completely empty fridge.

We had a dining room table, which we used to dine on our wedding cake!

The living room had a plush couch where we parked ourselves for a Storage Wars marathon as we were waiting for our ceremony. I love watching trashy television shows in hotel rooms!

My favorite part our suite was the bed. It was probably the most luxurious bed that I have ever slept in. It was so nice, that we paid extra to have a six pm check-out and spent Sunday afternoon watching movies in bed and taking a nap. If the bed could have fit into my luggage, I would have stolen it!

As if to remind us of home, there was a cactus on the bedside table.

It's just like the cactus on our patio, except healthier looking!

The Sky Suites included a nightly turn-down service. We were each given a box of chocolate and a quote on our bedside tables. They also set out slippers on a mat on each side of our bed.

The box contained six squares of individually wrapped pieces of chocolate, each one a different flavor. I really liked the green tea and honey piece.

A proper Vegas weekend must include an enormous jacuzzi tub. I stocked up on bath bombs from Lush prior to the trip and I took a long soak each day. I even surprised Dan with a manly bath bomb shaped like a robot!

We had a great vanity area filled with every type of amenity that we could possibly need, stuff beyond the standard hotel offerings, like shaving foam and toothpaste. We really didn't need to pack any tolitries for our trip, as it was all provided.

The huge double closets had soft robes. We ended up loving the Aria robes and bought two in the Spa store.

The shower was enormous and had amazing water pressure.

Aria is known for being a tech-saavy hotel. Everything from the curtains to the lighting is programable. Dan really enjoyed playing with everything and setting it to our preferences. It gave him some home improvement ideas.

There is one area where the tech went too far!

The toilet paper is just there to make you feel more at ease. With a push of a button, you don't need toilet paper, as this toilet is equipped to wash and dry your private parts. You can even program the intensity level of the wash. Dan has traveled to Japan and wasn't freaked out by this tech toilet. I, however, was very freaked out.

Yes, I tried it. It tickled. Never again.

Rear or Front? Keeping this blog classy!

We had amazing views from our room, looking out towards Red Rock Canyon and overlooking pool complex. Tour helicopters flew by our window every few minutes. The first picture was taken at the end of our hallway and the rest are views from our room.

My favorite perk of staying in the Sky Suites was the lounge.

In the mornings, we went to the lounge for coffee, pastries and fruit. In the evenings, we had wine, giant chocolate covered strawberries and cheese. We never purchased bottles of water, because they were available in the lounge. The lounge was a great perk!

A pretty flower arrangement in the lounge.

Outside of dining in Crystals, we stayed on Aria property the entire weekend.

On Friday night, we had a lavish meal at Jean George Steakhouse. We went with the five course tasting menu with wine pairings. The food was amazing. The most memorable course was caviar served over a lemon jelly in a half lemon. It was so usual and delicious. The steak was fork tender and intensely flavorful. It didn't even need the fancy sauces that were served on the side. I made the mistake of having a large glass of wine prior to our meal and just couldn't finish my wine pairings. By the end of the meal, the last several pairings had piled up. It was embarrassing.

i kept thinking that the Vegas party police were going to arrest me for wasting alcohol!

Jean George Steakhouse is a decadent meal and a must-do on a Vegas dining fantasy list.

We had a mixed experience at the Aria Cafe. Visually stunning, the cafe has high ceilings and nature accents like a cactus garden and piles of rocks encased in glass. Our server was nice, but the overall vibe of the staff is indifference. The food is good, but incredibly over-priced. There is no reason that a club sandwich should cost close to twenty-dollars. I object on principal. We had a nice meal, but I would definitely not eat here again.

Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of my favorite casual meal of the weekend. We had lunch in Crystals at Wolfgang Puck's Pizzeria and Cucina. The pizzas and white sangria were fantastic. However, what really sealed the deal was the platter of fresh baked cookies, especially the ginger snaps. We had a wonderful server and we definitely would go out of our way to return to this restaurant.

We spent the morning before our wedding in the Aria Spa getting a couples massage. As with everything else at Aria, the price was heavily inflated. I've had massages at high-end spas all over Los Angeles and Aria's prices were about double.

That said, the spa facilities are lovely and our massage therapists both did a great job. I left feeling rejuvenated and relaxed. Massage aside, the entry fee for the spa facilities is a great deal. Thirty dollars give you a day pass to use the jacuzzi's, steam rooms and saunas. The spa has several areas to lounge around and relax. There are plenty of refreshments and great shower products. It's very nice and well-worth the price of admission. It's probably the best deal at Aria.

Even though it was cold, I was stubborn about wanting to use the pool. Pools are one of my favorite things about Vegas hotels. Aria's pool complex is huge and with multiple pools, nearly every lounge chair is positioned in a prime poolside spot. The space is well planned and maximized. This would be a great pool in warm weather. We shivered for thirty minutes and headed back to the room. Another trip..

We were sad when it was time to climb into our limo and head back to the airport. Aria is a beautiful hotel and was a great escape for our wedding weekend.