Monday, January 27, 2014

White Mountain Girlie Getaway, Day 1

Apologies for the loooooong radio silence.  January has really just been a gray, snowy blur and I was pretending to hibernate, but luckily, last weekend broke me out of my winter doldrums.   A few months ago, GK and I had the excellent foresight to book a girlie getaway at the Mountainview Grand Resort and Spa, located in the scenic White Mountains of New Hampshire, and it turned out to be just what we needed to rejuvenate ourselves after the holidays were over and the January sads had set in.  We hit the road on Sunday afternoon, and as soon as we left the Boston area, we felt like we could breathe a little more deeply, relax and enjoy the snowy scenery that we were passing.


























It was after dark by the time that we arrived at the hotel, so ogling the exterior of the building and the mountain view would have to wait until morning, but we could soak up the cozy, ski-lodge feeling of the lobby, with huge sofas and chairs that looked perfect for curling up in by the fire.
























Before any curling up was to be done though, we both agreed that it was time for dinner, and after checking in, we made our way to the hotel's pub and restaurant, called simply "The Tavern."  When we were seated right in front of another crackling fire, GK and I knew that we had found a winner and celebrated with wine and baked brie.

The brie itself was delicious but I was not as fond of the pastry.  It tasted a bit like a pre-made entree that someone just pulled out of the freezer and popped into the oven.  However, I was soon distracted by the arrival of our entrees.  In honor of our girlie getaway GK and I ordered dainty meals of .......who am I kidding?  We both ordered man-sized burgers and sweet potatoes fries.























I opted for the mushroom and Swiss variety.  Cooked to medium perfection, juicy, and with a fluffy bun that was toasted just enough to not get soggy.
Just look at that beast.  And yes, it was so large that I had to cut it in half in order to eat it.  *Hangs head in shame.*  After downing more than one would have thought possible, we made our way upstairs to our room.

Anyone who has asked me about this trip knows that I can't shut up about this bed.  It may not look like much but MOST COMFORTABLE MATTRESS AND PILLOWS EVER.  Seriously.  It was like you were lying on air.  And not just any air.  The most insanely soft and fluffy air in the history of the universe.  And I even thought this before we decided to crack open the good stuff....
We flopped onto the bed with our bubbly and settled in for a night of chatting and watching trashy/awesome reality t.v.  But we hadn't gotten too caught up with the Kardashians when we realized that we had forgotten something earlier......dessert!  Luckily, you could order anything served in the Tavern as room service so we made the tough call and within ten minutes, this tray of gloriousness arrived.
GK went for the Chocolate Decadence.....creamy chocolate mouse with a fruit filling, encased in a hard chocolate shell and topped with whipped cream and a pirouette.
While she kept it classy, I reverted to my childhood and had this colossal brownie sundae.
A giant brownie, swimming in a pool of hot fudge and topped with vanilla ice cream and a veritable mountain of whipped cream.  With a cake pop on the side, for good measure.  I don't think that I have ever seen anything so beautiful in my entire life.
After finishing off dessert, we were very pleased with ourselves....
 And perhaps just a bit sugar-crazed and tipsy.....
So we decided to get crazy and get tattoos.....this could have ended quite badly, but fortunately, I had packed one of my favorite presents that I had received for Christmas this year:
It's a little known fact that the first version of Pride and Prejudice had a completely different ending, in which Elizabeth Bennett decides that she's had quite enough of the snooty Mr. Darcy and grabs the girls for a night out at the village pub. They drink far too much ale and all wake up with the equivalent of a 19th century tramp stamp.  It was obviously much too saucy and shocking for Austen's original publishers, but let's hope that it makes it into a film version sometime soon.  



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