Travel---take me away

Eating Kimchi with Erin

2012-02-15T21:34:00.001-06:00

It wasn't on my list of things to accomplish for the year, but Erin is my adventurous foodie friend, so I proposed Chong's on the West Side. This restaurant is near an Air Force base and was filled with uniforms! I took this as a good sign since a lot of the Air Force stationed here come from a Korean base.

I had no idea what to expect with Kimchi. I knew it was cabbage based, but I pictured something more like sauerkraut. It was spicier, not nearly as sour as I expected. The waitress brought out a sample of cabbage and turnip based kimchi and I have to admit that I liked the turnip better. It was gingery and crunchy and I loved it!

I warned Erin that there would be pictures and blogging but my eating was messy and there was concern on my part about the multiple spots all over my breasts so I completely forgot.

I really should have gotten a picture of the location though. It's hilarious to eat in a restaurant next to an insurance company across from a bar. It's hidden in the dead end of a strip mall. It was surreal. It was like every Korean restaurant joke I have ever heard (and I have to admit it...I was thinking dog meat!)

So the four perfect scores by the health department was a good sign. The fact that they felt the need to post them ON THE FRONT DOOR however was a bit disconcerting. I think I even saw a blue plate from KSAT from the Kitchen Kops. Regardless, Erin and I had a great time. We stayed until everyone left. Not because we chased them off. I don't think. Time flew and they never seemed to want to shoo us away. I'd go back...but next time I want the ribs. It isn't every day you get scissors with your meal!!

On Parenting: In which i'm sure to offend someone

2012-02-14T16:02:00.004-06:00

I hate to brag but I have to admit I have well-behaved kids. It's not just me saying that. I get told this all the time. Nothing makes me more proud as a parent than to pick up my child from a party and hear the mom tell my son or daughter that he or she is welcome back ANY TIME.

My children did not hatch from eggs, or get picked from a cabbage patch. They are the culmination of hard work and constant, consistent parenting from both Craig and myself. There are things we have chosen to do in order to make them well-adjusted, eager, patient, considerate future global citizens.

Did I mention patient?

I stress this one attribute because I find it so lacking in all of American society. From immediate song changes to the constant need to be entertained, I don't think Americans are able to be silent long enough to hear their own thoughts. I am beginning to just believe that Americans don't like themselves so they try to fill every waking moment with things, communications, and entertainment so they don't have to listen to themselves think.

The side effect is that Americans expect to have every waking second filled. They wake up, turn on the TV or radio, check their phone. Spend the day on the computer, talking on their phone, checking text messages and facebook. They talk in the car or listen to the radio. Does anyone drive in silence any more? Watch people in the grocery store. How many people are talking as they shop. The rudest of people talk when they checkout to avoid any interaction with the person standing in front of them. And in the evening they watch TV. Lots of TV.

I admit that I spend most waking moments reading something. Computer or book. But I long ago decided that I really like my thoughts and the crazy places they take me so I often drive in the silence. My house is usually silent. I hate ambient TV noises. Probably because my mother's house always has noise and this is my juvenile rebellion. Who knows?

This is the mother my poor children got. Go. Call you mother and thank her for not being me. I don't mind, really.

When we took the long road to Key West. We drove. My husband, his parents, our two younger children and me. In a car together for 3 hours. One way. It should have been a nightmare. It was a blast. Don't get me wrong. The kids fought. They argued. They slept. They were kids. They were not mind-numbed machines plugged into a game that kept their whole attention. I hate to tell people, but that isn't parenting. And what really are you teaching your kids anyway? Seriously think about what you are trying to tell your children when you do this. You don't value their thoughts and ideas. You just want them to shut up and frankly not be a part of your life.

Does this mean my children never get to play video games? No. My son has a iPod Touch. We have computers. I have games on my iPhone I let my kids play. But they aren't used to just keep my kids quiet whenever I want them to be little statues.

My husband and I are both horribly impatient people. I didn't want our children to grow up to be like us. So I make them wait for things. They often hear me tell them that "it's good to want things." Meaning if you have everything, what is there to look forward to? I want them to enjoy the anticipation. Enjoy the WAIT as much as the THING.

Which means when I booked us with a FIVE HOUR LAYOVER in Fort Lauderdale after our cruise while we waited for the FIRST LEG of our plane journey to begin, the children were great. My husband however paced like a caged animal snarling things like "Never again" and veiled threats of actually booking a plane ticket himself some day. Empty threats I tell you.

This is what parenting is all about. Preparing your children for their mother's stupidity. It works every time!

Solar Eclipse

2012-02-11T16:42:00.000-06:00

Actually I do have a trip planned. But since it's all about the solar eclipse and not about the travel per se I guess some small part of me had already begun the TWP (Travel With Purpose) mindset. If you have any interest in viewing a solar eclipse then you should check out NASA's webpage for information.

This is going to be a dry run of sorts as well. The drive to Craig's uncle is the half way mark of the travel we would take if we go skiing for Christmas this year. I'm trying reallllly hard to sell travel for Christmas for the rest of our lives. Heh. For the sake of the children of course.

Travel with purpose

2012-02-09T09:01:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe that in less than four weeks I will be travelling to Paris and Morocco. But even more amazing for me is that I do not have a SINGLE trip planned after that. Not. A. Single. Trip. This is unreal for me. I don't even have a weekend trip to the coast planned.

It's made me really think about when and where I want to travel next. It seems like my level of enthusiasm for my next place is hesitant to make itself known. It's like walking into a really quiet room and automatically whispering. And as I sit and think about what I want to do and accomplish in the next year. Travel really isn't one of them.

Don't get me wrong. I still read travel blogs. I still have subscriptions to travel magazines. I still check Delta for flight costs. I went to tripadvisor and left all my reviews for the cruise trip. But then I hit a brick wall.

Years ago when I took a group of high school students to Paris and London, a co-worker joined me. She was in her 60s, fit and well-travelled. In her 50s, she had sailed from the South Pacific to California, hitting dozens of islands, filling a passport book (oh how wonderful that sounds!). After spending the time in London and Paris we were sitting at a cafe watching people stroll down the Parisian streets and she said something that sticks to me today.

"I can only take so much concrete and culture. I need my next trip to be green and nature."

I realized then that for the most part, for my travel it was always about concrete and culture. Since then I've gotten away from the madness on trips. I took a weekend to Big Bend and Terlingua with a friend and no cell phones. Not much green there but lots of nature! I've laid on beaches in the Caribbean drinking Corona Light; I've played golf at top courses in the world.

And I've enjoyed it all. I don't begrudge any of my past travels, but I have spent some navel-gazing thinking about my future travels and I realized I want to travel now with a purpose. Or rather I want to travel to for meaning. I don't just want to arrive and take in, as if my travels are this one way street where I arrive to be entertained. I want to arrive in a location knowing I will be adding something back. That the reason I am there is to make things better (or attempt to I don't have a god complex!), to learn something that I can teach to others, or achieve something that will let me know myself more.

It's for this reason that cruises don't totally appeal to me as a method of travel. Don't get me wrong. My mother and daughter both want to go on cruises in the future and I will suffer for both of them (DD wants to go to Curacao and my mother wants to go to Canada or the Eastern Mediterranean. I suffer so for them!) But for my personal travel and my goals in the next few years I want there to be a reason that I am travelling beyond just seeing stuff. And buying stuff. I want to know when I get back on the plane that I have grown somehow. And that I will be offering this growth to everyone else who meets me.

Our church has a variety of short-term missions in Burkina Faso, Guatemala and Brazil, and I've already told Craig that in 2013 I intend to join one. My friend Nancy has contacts all over the world willing and able to show us places we can help out and learn. Perhaps I will use my travel to acheive a Master's in Zoology so I can teach in colleges and universities.

The point is there are lots of opportunites out there to do more than visit a city to watch and observe. I can do that in a travel video on my couch. I have 10 months left in the year and I intend to complete several financial goals, and then I will give my travel plans some thought.

Of course with this said, when Craig comes home one day and tells me to book a trip to Vegas, I can't say no, can I????

Tentatively titled: Leave us alone so we can play on the beach

2012-02-08T14:55:00.000-06:00

If you look closely I think there is even some eye rolling from the girl. The film cuts off because my battery died. I'm lucky I got this. Super planning mom I am not.

The beaches of Haiti are naturally rocky. Royal Caribbean carted in tons of sand to make a typical beach so the kids could build castles and bury their feet. The kids had a live sand dollar come up during play and they kept it in a bowl of water to watch it breath and move. I think they learned more playing on the beach in Haiti than they would have learned a week in the school they missed!

Craig and the Cock: a Key West story in pictures

2012-02-05T18:47:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time, a man travels to an island. Little did he know there was another male on the island waiting for him. Apparently, the Florida Keys have lots of roosters roaming free. Like Lots.

They are friendly buggers. Having no problem walking right up to you. I am slightly afraid of chickens when they are too aggressive because of a horrid goose incident when I was a child, so I took this picture then ran back to the car.

These little buggers would pop up in the strangest places: parking lot, beaches, streets. And I have to admit I was a little apprenhensive that the restaurant my in-laws chose, used local animals for their food :) Most everyone ordered seafood, because in the Florida Keys who would order chicken???? Well, that would be me. And my kids. I did have a Mojito, too.

A month in review

2012-02-01T15:46:00.000-06:00

If anyone knows where January went could you have her give me a call? She left and I totally didn't notice! Despite the fact that January took off before I could say goodbye, this year is looking good! I'm on track to complete everything on my resolutions list!!

~~First off I need to Organize my bucket list! (which is actually on my bucket list but I won't count it for my 12 :) )~~ DONE! I even posted two sections this month as well.

1. Books to Read (from 1001 Books to Read Before You Die):
~~Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut~~ 01/03/12
~~The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – John Le Carré~~ 01-13-12
~~Choke – Chuck Palahniuk~~ 01/08/12
~~Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel~~ 01/05/12
~~Less than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis~~ 01/27/12
~~Rabbit, Run – John Updike~~ 01/31/12

2. Movies to Watch (from the list of movies that won Best Picture):
19~~71 - "The French Connection"~~ 01/12/12

8. Plant a vegetable garden, Can't be crossed off yet as nothing got planted. BUT we did create the garden, hauling wheelbarrow loads of dirt from the farm so that Craig can smell "home" when we wants.

~~9. Donate platelets once a month for a year. Contribute to a microloan at kiva.org~~ This change is chronicled here.

10. Spend 3 months getting my body in optimum shape STARTING TODAY! Cannot be crossed off, but one month down. I have worked out at least 5 hours each week. I plan to work out more when I get back from the cruise, and some day I will actually start watching what I'm eating too!

February is a short and sweet month and I plan to do a lot of reading and some movie watching. I have Slumdog Millionaire on Tivo too now. Who wants to watch this and Hurt Locker with me this month???

Toilet Paper, Immodium, and Ear Plugs

2012-01-30T16:11:00.000-06:00

I mean if there is anything that will make you decide to just stay home it's the suggested packing items for Morocco! I was aware of the toilet paper issue. Having personally stood over a gap in the earth called a rest room in Italy, I was not worried so much about the toilet differences. I was already a little leery about the sanitary eating issues though when I was getting poked and prodded for my Hepatitis shots.

I was also not aware that prayers were called at night. So I plan to pack ear plugs, but still doubt I'll be able to hear much over the noise of my aunt's IPAP and snoring (kidding!) (kind of!).

So basically extra packing things for Morocco needs to include :

Wet Ones (I have these oil of olay wipes I'll probably take instead)
Anti-diarrhea medicine (though I usually have the opposite problem when travelling so I'll take that too)
Ear plugs
Toilet Paper
Sunscreen (I don't really like the way I look in hats, so taking one will be a chore for me)and
A hard sided suitcase for all the undetermined fragile things I'm taking back home.

Still trying to determine if the awesome Moroccan shoes are made in giant human sizes.

Andrea Bucket List - Part 2

2012-01-25T15:51:00.000-06:00

As much as I love food I would think this section of my list would be longer. It seems I need to stretch my imagination a bit more on this one! I probably should look over the list of foods to eat before you die. I know there is one out there! (Update seems imminent)

GASTRONOMY

Eat poutine in Montreal

Become a Wine Connoisseur

Eat 5 deep fried foods at the Texas State Fair

Collect 30 wines that can age.

Take the Kentucky Whiskey tour

Drink Absinthe in Paris

Drink a pint of beer in Ireland

Do vodka shots in Russia

Have a formal dinner party with wine pairings

Eat tapas in Spain

Eat kimshi

Visit the Heart of Charleston and eat Low Country Cuisine

Stuff myself at Maine’s Lobster festival

Eat at Charlie Trotters in Chicago

Eat at SuperDawg in Chicago

Eat peanut pancakes in Singapore

How to pack your life (or two months of it) in 22"

2012-01-24T13:02:00.000-06:00

Pay attention, Nancy, it goes fast (or so Matt says!)

I think I've seen this method before in ancient rugs and baskets. And also? I don't like to do laundry on a trip but then the chances of me needing to pack for 60 days is very, very low. I think the little handy, dandy scale is really cool.

Oh you want to know the REAL price?

2012-01-23T14:29:00.002-06:00

I noticed this weird trend on Delta lately (where I look for most of my flights). It says the ticket price to a place, which actually doesn't look to bad. But in TEENY TINY letters you see the taxes which in effect DOUBLE the cost! Like for example I was looking at a fight to Nairobi in October (just for the heck of it, this is what I do when I have a project due in four days) and the big numbers say $1063, but then little digits below show there are over $600 in taxes. That's a big difference! So glad then to see this:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now if only I can get them to notify me when the prices get within my budget (other sites do this!). And convince Craig that I need to go :)

Because everyone needs ANOTHER list to complete

2012-01-20T12:59:00.000-06:00

I admit it. I wasn't really aware of UNESCO sites. When I happened on the blog PostCards and PLaces, I decided to look it up.

Here are the places I have already been (like 1% of the sites)
Czech Republic
Historic Centre of Prague
Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec

France
Palace and Park of Versailles
Paris, Banks of the Seine
Bordeaux, Port of the Moon

Germany
Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (Berlin only)

Italy
Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura (HILARIOUS what the call the Vatican!)
Venice and its Lagoon
City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto
City of Verona

United States of America (small shame that I have only been to ONE!)
Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville

Place I will be going in just a few weeks(WHOOT!):

Morocco
Medina of Fez
Medina of Marrakesh

However in reality I don't intend to complete all 900+ sites. Many of them are very naturey and while I am not opposed to nature in theory, it is not my preferred travel destination. I am more for culture and people than beautiful scenery. I do however find the many pre-historic items on the list fascinating and might add some of them to my bucket list.

The Bucket List Shoving Match

2012-01-18T16:31:00.000-06:00

I had all the best intentions of starting my New Year's Resolution to donate platelets once a month. I drove to the Blood bank. I answered all the questions about medication and travel. Oh I need to check something, they say. And then they came back.

Oh. Umm. Sorry? But Labadee, Haiti? Not good.

What do you mean? I didn't have sex with anyone. There were no blood transfusions done. What is the deal?

And then I flash to the gorgeous scenery. That much green. That much rain. It means mosquitos. Malaria carrying mosquitos. So here I've been stressing over Morocco in March and it turns out I'm high risk NOW.

So yeah, and since I'm going back to Labadee in say two weeks, this means I won't be donating anything blood-like for at least another year. So I need to add something to my 12 for 12 to replace my failed blood attempt. I thought about buying flowers once a month for a year, but really trading a bucket list contribution item for a bucket list beautifying item? It seems a bit off.

So I went to my bucket list of contributing items and one jumped out at me. Contribute a microloan at Kiva.org

I thought I'd start small. You can loan as little as $25. This is the cost of a lunch out with the kids for me and when they ask if we can go out, I'm going to tell them no. We cannot because we spent the money helping Stephen. And they will be all WHO IS STEPHEN? And I'll show them Stephen. See that FULLY FUNDED notation? I DID THAT! He only needed $25 left to complete his loan and I gave the last $25. So somewhere in Africa a farmer is being told that his loan is ready. It took 32 strangers to help him out and frankly it brings tears to my eyes thinking that this man needs enough to support his family of six on LESS THAN WE PAY FOR OUR MORTGAGE IN ONE MONTH.

Perspective people!

Am I guaranteed to get this money back? No. Is this more than I can afford to lose? No. Do I feel an enormouse sense of accomplishment for doing it? HELL YEAH!

If you have never heard of Kiva and/or are interested in helping people in other places from the safety of your home, please check it out!

I love me a good packing post

2012-01-18T11:31:00.001-06:00

I always find it interesting what people find as important to pack and also what they don't. It was nice seeing CeCe at Life's Little Victories list the medications she (as a nurse) finds important:

Tylenol, Tums, Imodium, Dramamine and Motion Sickness patches, Benadryl (as a sleep aid), Sudafed (the real stuff). Don't forget bandaids and some topical antibiotic (like Neosporin).

I would like to add that I also love Gas-X strips. If you haven't heard of these, check them out because they are LIFE SAVERS! Also on cruises or when there are chances of a sunburn, I can't travel without aloe gel.

Mic has broken it into a science and I learned about the Eagle Creek Pack-It system. Cuz that's all I need. ANOTHER packing system!

How do you pack? Anything you never want to forget?

The three times rule

2012-01-16T10:38:00.000-06:00

I have a lot of thoughts jumbling in my head this Monday morning. This weekend was not even very packed but I fell asleep last night at 8:30 and woke up at 6:30. I made cream of wheat for Craig and juiced like 25 oranges (the farm has a small orchard and I am up to my ears in citrus) which creates a lot of thinking time. Like there has to be a more modern way for me to juice oranges. I like this one because it looks like a science experiment :)

Also I was thinking about what my friend Dana told me this weekend about a three times rule. She was actually commenting on the Malawi phenomenon I had had in the last couple weeks. See, one of the friends I am meeting in Morocco (Nancy) has a friend/coworker who is moving to Malawi for a few years and told her that she was welcome to stay with them if she wanted to visit. Since Nancy knows I'm more than up for most travel ideas, she mentioned this to me. All I know of Malawi came from the collection we did in fifth grade for Bangladesh and Malawi. This made me believe that Malawi was located someplace in Southeast Asia. I was wrong.

Malawi is in fact located in Southern Africa, southwest of Tanzania to be specific. And Kenya/Tanzania have been my dream vacation locations since I was a little girl. So I'm thinking wow, this would be fantastic but Africa again REALLY? The likelihood of Craig letting me go back any time soon is low. Like below Absolute Zero.

So I kind of forgot about it. Until Rebekah comes home from girl scouts to tell me the country they will be studying and displaying for World Day is MALAWI. OOOOOkay. Mark one. Then when visiting Dana her husband hands me a book written by a man who worked in the Peace Corps as a teacher in MALAWI. Mark two. I said maybe it means something. One more Mark and I'm meant to go. Dana said like a three times rule? And I thought YES! Maybe that's what it is. It could be a five times rule or even ten times, but how many times does something come up before it's a sign.

I mean is it all a sign? Or am I just now more aware of this country and it registers on my mind now. I think there is a term for this but it escapes me. If you know it PLEASE LET ME KNOW! Whether you believe in God's signs (which I do) or fate or coincidence, you have to know about those times where ideas or items keep showing up in your awareness and you get that feeling that someone is trying to tell you something.

This has also happened to me with the event Burning Man. I noticed this event occurs on several Bucket Lists out there. It wasn't something that spoke to me, but I was not surprised to find it on my friend Cindy's list. And then today when I read the Bloggess (whom I read every day if I can), and her weekly wrap up included this video which requires a warning.

DO NOT CLICK ON THIS LINK UNLESS YOU DO NOT MIND MINOR NUDITY. If that doesn't make you click on it, I don't know what will!

Burning Man and Dr. Seuss

So now I have two marks for Burning Man and two marks for Malawi. Things that make you go Hmmmm.

The art of demanding a passport stamp

2012-01-13T11:12:00.000-06:00

In Man Vs Clocks A to Z of travel (which is a very interesting read and frankly impressive with the amount of work and time he obviously put into the post!) he notes that his passport doesn't have stamps to European countries because UK citizens don't get stamps there.

Oh. Em. Gee. Small confession here. I travel for the stamp. Ever since I was a kid if I could earn a stamp I wanted one. I wanted to have PROOF that I had travelled. Pictures don't count. Memories fade. But by gosh, stamps from foreign countries prove travel. That matters! This is one of the reasons I HATE that you get stamped in the first European country you visit. This means that I have a ridiculous number of French stamps when I haven't actually visited France in 10 years! I am hoping that when we fly to Paris, then stay for a couple days and THEN go to Morroco we can get a Moroccan stamp. I WANT A STAMP IN ARABIC!

Also, this is why I am not the biggest fan of cruising. I would be willing to wait hours in line if I could just get a stamp. In St. Maarten, I made Craig walk with me to the shipping docks (not exactly the nicest most touristy section of the island, I can tell you) to go get a passport stamp. It's not like we were the first people to ever do this. When we started walking down the narrow street with the chain link fences and stacked storage cars, people would ask us if we were heading to get stamped and then point in the general diection.

Which included a tiny, mobile home with a man leaning against the side in a uniform smoking a cigarette. I waved my passport about and asked if he would give us stamps. Without saying a word he grabbed both our passports, then went inside the building leaving us standing alone. There were a couple tense seconds where Craig glared at me because we had just FREELY HANDED over our passports to a stranger, before he came out and told us to have a good day in (I think) Dutch. It wasn't English or French I know.

Then as we walked away a car pulls up leaving the docks security area and asks us in very broken English if we are headed to a ship. I look at Craig who says yes and the man offers us a ride. Keep in mind that the walk was very very long but how could we explain to the seemingly nice man that we would rather walk the distance than get a free ride. So we slowly got in the car and to be honest I don't remember much. He talked some, but I was praying the whole time that we weren't just about to be national news about a missing couple. But he took us back to the ship exactly as he said and refused any payment for the ride.

It was another one of those crazy Andrea experiences you get when travelling with me. I think it's what my mother calls "God's protection for children and idiots."

See also: Picture I wish I had taken, Andrea's trips to the seedy parts

you'd think with this clock Prague would always run on time

2012-01-11T20:17:00.000-06:00

Not so much really.

The Prague Astronomical Clock is a spectacle collecting dozens of tourists in one spot looking up to watch the little show. It's a pickpocket's dream so my purse was held in a Klingon Death Grip during the whole show. I personally think there are things you just have to lose yourself to as a tourist.

This is one. I mean it's the oldest working astronomical clock, first installed in 1410. To me it's a miracle of science and human achievement. Plus it's really close to cheap beer!

Andrea's Bucket List- Part 1

2012-01-09T06:30:00.000-06:00

I was shocked how many of my friends emailed me or posted on my facebook that they didn't have bucket lists. WOW. One asked me if things were "okay" to put on the list and my answer was "It's YOUR list do what you want!" Another friend was afraid to start one because she didn't have the time or money to do any of it right now. And I realized. Bucket Lists can be scary. It's a giant HA HA at you for things you can't do right now. So I came up with a few ideas I figured I'd share. Plus I want to post my bucket list on this blog (but mine is realllllly long so I will have to do it in installments!) so I have it on the Internet in case my computer I have it on dies....though I do have it on google docs as well. It's important information this Bucket List.

1. You can't make a mistake. It's your list. If you change your mind, delete an entry. It's not set in stone. I add to mine all the time. Initially I wanted to ride a camel IN the Sahara. After doing research, yeah, not so much. Riding a camel period is enough for me!

2. You don't have to complete them all. So you don't get to them all so what? Who really cares? I promise there are no Bucket List police! I have things I am unlikely to complete (volunteering for a month abroad? Unlikely while I'm married to Craig. And I'm stuck with him till I die. Or he does. Hmmmmm.)

3. It doesn't have to cost any money. In fact you could have a bucket list of all FREE things. Now that could be a challenge! You could have a bucket list of only things you want to volunteer your time with. So you stay at home with your kids. Go to a nursing home FOR FREE and hang out for a couple hours, play bingo. The kids will learn something (patience, understanding, sympathy) and the elders will love the new company. Just let the residents win at bingo. Those games get ugly!

4. Bucket Lists tell you about who you are. And where you want to be. It's an exploration of self. It's a motivation to stop letting life HAPPEN to you and deciding you are going to LIVE it. It's a positive reinforcement that something good is coming up and the next turn you take will be that much more to achieve. I don't mean to get all uplifting and crap but I personally am sad when I hear someone doesn't have or want a Bucket List. I mean if you don't know where you are going then how do you know you got there? Or even more so how can you look forward to the journey?

One thing I learned about my trip with Craig was that surprise visits that HAPPEN to you take all the joy and anticipation out of it. His ONLY complaint about the whole thing is that he didn't have the weeks to look forward to the trip. Talking it out with friends and family. HEetold me the next time I wanted to do something I could just do it but LET HIM KNOW.

And that is my bucket list in a nut shell. It's a way of telling myself. HERE. This is your journey. I have no idea how you are getting there. I have no idea WHEN you are getting there. But check out the books. Read about them. Research them because ONE DAY. One Day you will be the one standing there taking the picture and helping someone else get there too!

ADVENTURE

Set foot on each of the seven continents.

Climb the cliffs to Masada

Trek to see Anasazi Cliff Dwellings

Participate in Carnival in Venice or Brazil

Walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver, BC

Run to the top of the Statue of Liberty

Throw tomatoes at Tomatina (thanks Cindy for reminding me...I wanted this on my list too!)

SCUBA in the Great Barrier Reef ( I have a horrible fear of sharks.....this will probably never happen)

Raft in the Grand Canyon

Rappel in the dark at Natural Bridge Caverns

Take an around the world trip (maybe?)

WATCH the running of the bulls in Pamplona

Go on a red dress run

Travel somewhere foreign alone.

Rollerblade

Drive across America coast to coast

Heli-Hike in British Columbia

Hike in the Catskills

~~Travel for 24hours with only a purse.~~ January2009 in Las Vegas

White Water raft in West Virginia

White Water raft in the Grand Canyon

Sky dive

Kayak in the San Juan Islands

Jeep (or ATV) through Moab

See Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills

Dance on the bar at Coyote Ugly

~~Ride a hot air balloon~~ October 2009 in CentralCalifornia

I have lots more parts but this is enough for now!

It's not surprising, but I hate surprises

2012-01-06T16:02:00.000-06:00

For eighteen years of marriage I have bought my own gifts. I'm not terribly big with unknown because frankly I'm an ungrateful wretch. I have only learned how to accept gifts in the last year. It's hard for me to say thank you. It's hard for me to appreciate what others do for me because, well, I'm not very good at acting surprised. I'm not that person who wears the ugly shirt because it was a gift. It wasn't until a dear friend of mine accepted a gift from me with wise words that I realized the art of gift-RECEIVING. Her response was a prayer that my life would be enriched double what I had given to her. And whatever bands holding my heart three sizes too small burst and I "got it."Receiving gifts is about the giver too. It's not about me. It's about the joy they have in giving something to me.

My husband is also a horrible gift receiver who hates surprises. So the fact that for 6 months I planned an elaborate vacation (organizing time off from his work and coaching responsibilities) came as quite a shock to those who knew us well. In October I planned a quickie vacation. We left Monday night, played golf on Tuesday, had lunch at In and Out, and dinner at Ruth's Chris and came back on Wednesday. The dinner was a shift because the day was foggy and dinner was late and the ocean view I had wanted to have at George's Ocean Terrace was a no go, so to Craig's happiness (he hates California kooky cuisine) we went to Ruth's Chris. Which for the record has a different menu in California. Much kookier.

Through a series of delayed flights and almost missed (seriously running through the SLC airport shoving little old ladies aside and Craig calling out just leave me, I'll meet you there!) planes, we arrived in San Diego late, late, late at night. Their car options were limited so we were asked if we wanted an upgrade.....to a Challenger. Why yes, yes we would!

Then we checked in to our hotel room at Estancia La Jolla. This hotel is beautiful but strange. See how the buildings are all connected? We had to follow a series of hallways and doorways that made us feel like we were in the Shining. But thankfully the beds were comfy so we were all ready for golf in the morning.

The whole purpose of the trip was to play at this course. It was Craig's dream course Torrey Pines. This is the place where Scott Peterson was picked up in the parking lot with a trunk full of cash, camping equipment, cell phones, viagra and shovel (the extent of my useless knowledge knows no bounds!)

Craig actually played very well and I shot like a 150 (over double what I should have) and it's hard to believe the months of practice and lessons paid off but they did.

I felt a sense of accomplishment for completing a course that is used for professionals. And a fantastic sense of accomplishment for creating a surprise getaway for Craig that he (and I) will never forget.

When I grow up I wanna be Matt Long

2012-01-05T09:10:00.000-06:00

Growing up being a state of mind and not body as it's highly likely I'm older than Matt! I'm finding that now that I am opening my eyes to this phenomenon called the Internet I'm learning a lot of new stuff. Hello, 2002.

In 1997, when Carrie and I travelled to Europe for three weeks, creating a travel schedule and reservations were WORK. I had to stay up until 2 in the morning to catch the hotels first thing in the morning to make reservations. In broken French and Italian, I explained I would like to reserve a room with a shower for two. It's a miracle we only had one reservation mishap. I booked the wrong hotel and when we showed up at where I THOUGHT we were booked, they sent us walking three blocks over to where I had really booked. It wasn't a bad place and cost us $37/night TOTAL so I wasn't complaining. Also nothing was prepaid. So we basically showed up in foreign cities speaking very little of the language with a prayer and a pocketful of francs or lira HOPING rooms were available.

I picked hotels that were mentioned in multiple travel guides figuring if they paid off at least two publishers they couldn't be too bad. I had no idea what these places looked like or what their neighborhoods looked like and (other than the travel guides) had no reviews. It was the dark ages, people.

I'm almost afraid that the Internet has taken all of the surprise, fear, and anticipation out of travel that would have me up at night reading and rereading articles prior to travel. I mean in 61 days I am going to AFRICA. Speaking neither French NOR Arabic and I'm not even tossing in the night. All the nooks and crannies of travel planning are available. Everyone who has travelled to Morocco and has half the time to talk about it has posted on web pages and blogs all their experiences. I've found blogs of people who live there now as well as blogs of people who visited. And I cannot stress enough the value of TripAdvisor.com.

I can't believe I'm even lamenting this. I mean basically I'm typing that I'm upset that all I have to do is have fun! I think I've been married to Craig too long!!

Enter Matt Long. This poor man has no idea that I've spent the last 24 hours combing his site and basically stalking him, trying to figure out ways to sneak myself into his luggage so I can learn travel at the feet of a master. Context Travel posted his blog about the exact tour my aunt and I are taking in Paris on facebook and in the magic that is online epiphany, I found my travel soul mate. Well not quite because it's not that I want to be WITH him, so much as I want to BE him. Have I scared you yet, Matt?

His website it what I envisioned creating. I can only imagine the time and care that goes in to his site. I am eternally thankful that he did though because I love it like I love a vanilla cupcake with extra icing.

Pictures I WISH I had taken

2012-01-03T13:42:00.000-06:00

I take a lot of pictures when I travel (hundreds) and when I look back over past trips the one thing I wish I had more pictures of was PEOPLE. Those people who made my trip extra special.

For Example:

1. Neville (or was it Nigel? It was some very British, "N" name)- Kathryn and I hired a cab for two hours to see the "true" island and Nassau. He was true to his word. Apparently he was a former police officer and had contacts all through the island, stopping a few time to talk to cops working the streets to get info. He started at the bottom and took us to the (for lack of a better word) Ghetto where he explained the stray dog problem on the island. We ended up at Atlantis where he snuck us in (because the security guard was also a former cop) and we saw the aquariums and stuck our toes in the famous man made beach.

2. The young man and woman from Amsterdam who sat with us on the train from Prague to Dresden- They had worked in Vienna at a hotel for the summer and were working their way home via Prague to visit other countries. These amazing children (the girl was only 16) travelled all over Europe on their own. They could speak several languages and were very informative about travelling to Amsterdam (restaurants are mostly tourists and businessmen because families do not eat out in The Netherlands). They also had lots of questions about the US we were happy to answer.

3. Rodney- our bartender on our Western Caribbean cruise. I am so hoping he will be on the ship this trip too. He was the manager of the pool area bars and when we showed up every day he would know our drinks and tell us stories about his home country (Jamaica, where we will be travelling this time so hopefully he can help us on stuff to do as well!).

4. Brandon- (AKA Miss Kitten Caboodle) Brandon lead a group of five ladies through the hot spots of Las Vegas with patience and calm. He made sure we were properly taken care of at every night club and let us know all the ins and outs of VEgas night clubs. Brandon is the reason I want to dance on the bar at Coyote Ugly. He is also the reason I dressed like a drag queen last Halloween.

I guess the adage is You never regret taking too MANY pictures. I know this is my Aunt Jeannette's philosophy ;)

A Beef History of a Meat Eater

2012-01-02T16:51:00.000-06:00

I could go on and on about the way I was raised with respect to food. But to keep this short, I will stick to meat. My parents loved steak. And hated throwing away leftovers. This meant that I ate a lot of steaks growing up and a variety of meals that included leftover steaks. Which meant by the time I was old enough to consciously choose my plate contents I passed on steak. Remember how I tend to broaden these decisions? Soon this morphed in me refusing to eat anything beef.

Enter meeting my farm bred, cattle-raising husband at age 18. The first 10 years of our marriage was tough. I refused to eat beef, and he hated having chicken every meal. Eventually, I slowly added beef into my diet with prime steaks. And I realized all that I had missed. Soon my in-laws were sending home large packages of beef from the farm to eat. Many friends know I travel to the farm once or twice a year to pick up coolers full of steaks, roasts and ground meat. I fully realize how spoiled I am.

And how unique this is. In fact sometimes I forget that not everyone has access to a working farm and ranch. Friends don't even think twice when I email that we are loading hay or picking up seed. This last weekend though took the cake.

Email exchange between me and my friend, Nancy:

Andrea: I'm heading back home with Craig after picking up our boar

Nancy: I can't say I see a sentence about picking up a boar every day or well... ever! You Texans.

Andrea: It was supposed to be boat!!!!! Lol

Heh. My poor friends don't even know when it's a typo or when it's just the next crazy thing Andrea is doing!

All these FIRSTS must be a sign OR 12 for 12

2012-01-01T08:21:00.000-06:00

What a unique day January 1, 2012 is! It's the first day of the WEEK, MONTH, AND YEAR! I take this as a sign. And after my paucity of Bucket List cross offs last year, I figure I need to take matters into my own hands and pick specific things off the list to complete for the year.

First off I need to Organize my bucket list! (which is actually on my bucket list but I won't count it for my 12 :) )

1. Books to Read (from 1001 Books to Read Before You Die):

1. The Portrait of a Lady – Henry James
2. The Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoevsky
3. The Count of Monte-Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
4. The Purloined Letter – Edgar Allan Poe
5. Return of the Native – Thomas Hardy
6. The Story of O – Pauline Réage
7. ~~Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut~~ 01/03/12
8. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
9. ~~The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – John Le Carré~~ 1-13-12
10. ~~Choke – Chuck Palahniuk~~ 01/08/12
11. The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner
12. Look Homeward, Angel – Thomas Wolfe
13. The Red Queen – Margaret Drabble
14. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
15. The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
16. The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
17. Cocaine Nights – J.G. Ballard
18. The Virgin Suicides – Jeffrey Eugenides
19. American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
20. ~~Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel~~ 01/05/12
21. Beloved – Toni Morrison
22. Less Than Zero – Bret Easton Ellis
23. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
24. Rabbit, Run – John Updike
25. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
26. Perfume – Patrick Süskind
This is just over 2 a month. Some of which won't be a problem, but Brothers Karamazov has been partially read for years so this will take commitment.

2. Movies to Watch (from the list of movies that won Best Picture):

1. 1959 - "Ben-Hur"
2. 1952 - "The Greatest Show on Earth"
3. 1951 - "An American in Paris"
4. 1969 - "Midnight Cowboy"
5. 19~~71 - "The French Connection"~~ 01/12/12
6. 2009 - "The Hurt Locker"
7. 2010 - "The King's Speech"
8. 1985 - "Out of Africa"
9. 1984 - "Amadeus"
10. 1979 - "Kramer vs. Kramer"
11. 1978 - "The Deer Hunter"
12. 1949 - "All the Kings Men"
This works out to one a month. Hurt Locker is on my TIVO so it's my January choice.

3. Ride a camel (Morocco)
4. Get hennaed (Morocco)
5. Dance on the bar at Coyote Ugly (At NFR 2012)
6. Drink Absinthe in Paris
7. See a solar eclipse (an annular solar eclipse will occur in northwest Texas that we are planning to see)

8. Plant a vegetable garden and learn how to can using a pressure cooker
9. Donate platelets once a month for a year.

10. Spend 3 months getting my body in optimum shape STARTING TODAY!
11. Rollerblade
12. Learn Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance

Which little old lady do you want to be? Hemingway edition

2011-12-31T13:30:00.000-06:00

What a pitiful year 2011 was for my bucket list! However, my son graduated from high school, was accepted in to his dream college on almost full scholarship and I graduated with my M. Ed. in Instructional Technology. So things were done and life was lived.

In November, knowing one of my 1/1/12 resolutions would be to spend 3 months getting my body in tip top shape I joined a fitness studio and worked out for 5-7 hours a week the whole month. In December, even though I increased my workouts to 8-10 hours a week I still ended up gaining 5 pounds from the food. But it was less than the past and I feel stronger and fitter.

Yesterday to cross off one (and only one) item off my bucket List I spent time with my friend Debby who works as Activity Director in a nursing home. The hours I spent with the ladies playing bingo and decorating the dining room for the New Year's Eve special dinner were fantastic and I'm thrilled I had a chance to do it.

Watching the ladies, I spent a lot of time trying to think of who I wanted to be. I can tell you it was obvious which ones were fit and healthy and which didn't take very good care of themselves. Which ones had good relationships with families and friends and which ones were bitter and mean. Which ladies had lived their lives happily and which were lamenting chances missed and lives wasted.

So as I drove home I thought about how I wanted to live my life so that when I'm older people look at me and say I want to live her life. Not because it's so perfect but because of the way I handled things that were handed to me. When adversity makes me stronger, not sadder.

It made me think of a Hemingway quote I recently saw:

The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.

And then when finding that quote I found this one:

A man can be destroyed but not defeated.

I would call these words to live by!

A dilemma of stubborn proportions

2011-12-30T08:48:00.000-06:00

I have a tendency to make rash decisions and stick with them come hell or high water. Years ago I realized I decided I didn't like chocolate cake or cheesecake and somehow this morphed into me not liking any chocolate or cream cheese. This is not necessarily true, but I've scraped far more chocolate and cream cheese off my tongue than vanilla or coconut. Discreet, I am not.

I've done this with pop culture as well. Best TV comedy? Never seen a single episode. It took me a decade to watch Reality TV. I had watched Real World in college and when it started to become a genre in its own right, I backed away sneering. This high brow elite would rather read a bad book than watch good reality TV (if such a thing exists). Until Real Housewives. This series was put here on this Earth to confound me. I don't know what other people do when they watch reality TV but I pass judgement. I watch to see mispronunciations. And who holds their wine glass by the bowl and not the stem. Who laments being so busy while 5 housemaids works behind them. The sheer number of entertaining points may be artificially created by editing but they are oh so fun to watch. Which Andy Cohen knows I'm sure!But other than the RH series I still eschew most reality TV. I'll watch with my family if they happen to like something (my kids adore Storage Wars...my youngest has a crush on Brandy). But I don't record them or rewatch them over and over and over. {Cough} As I do for RH.

The same could be said about me and movies. Once a movie reaches a certain popularity I swear I will NEVER see it. Like Avatar. And Titanic. To this day I have PROUDLY never seen the movie. Imagine my chagrin when I decided to see all the Best Picture movies and there on the list was Titanic. ARGH. I might also make this a big deal, leaving the room when people are watching it. Did I mention my inability to be discreet?

Before bed conversation:

Andrea: I have a dilemma.

Craig (reading and not paying a lot of attention): What is that?

Andrea: I decided to watch all the Best Picture movies for my Bucket List.

Craig: Yeah? So?

Andrea: Apparently, Titanic won.

Long pause.

Craig: Ooooo. I'll let you make an exception for that one.

Le Sigh.

I wish I could do that. Oh how I wish. But instead I will put it off and when I am old and senile and won't remember it anyway I'll have my great-great-grandchildren set up the newfangled video player that I won't know how to use to watch it. I will put it off for the very last. I can be stubborn that way.

Travel with teenagers: a photoessay

2011-12-29T14:49:00.000-06:00

What to expect when you travel with a teen:

1 A LOT of sleeping. In places not meant for sleep.

2. A lot of attitude shown by the slumped posture and folded arms (smile is rare):

3. Getting taken places that are probably not allowed. Or safe.

4. A lot of the being ignored and pretending that you are strangers:

5. But sometimes you get one of these that makes it all worth it!

The next blog link

2011-12-28T11:45:00.000-06:00

Apparently, Blogger uses some sort of identification to find the "next blog" that I GUESS it thinks is similar to the one you are looking at. I think this is cool and after every post I go to the blog and see where the Next Blog links will take me. Today they took me to Sweden. EVERY SINGLE blog was in Swedish. I think maybe one was Estonian. IT was about Quilts. WHAT THAT HAS TO DO WITH MY BLOG??? I'll never know! IF you have a blog follow the links. Maybe you will learn something that a computerized compiler will teach you.

I'm meant for Sweden.

Bucket List primer and then some

2011-12-28T07:55:00.000-06:00

Last night I got lost in bucket list mania. There are dozens of websites and blogs out there completely dedicated to people's bucket lists. I've had one for years and I'm not even sure if I had one before the eponymous movie came out. What I do know is no self-respecting travel lover is without one. You may have a bucket list and not love to travel but I think it's impossible to love to travel and NOT have a bucket list. That itemization of places you must see before you die. I have spent way too much time perusing other lists and working on my own and do this so often when my mother called last night to ask me a question about my accounting books for my company and asked what I was doing, the answer "working on my bucket list" didn't phase her or raise any other questions.

I take a little bit of time when I read other people's list thanking God for all the opportunities that He has afforded me to do so much. It's amazing how many things don't make my list BECAUSE I HAVE ALREADY DONE THEM! And then there are the ubiquitous listings like learning a new language, seeing the Aurora Borealis and sky diving. The bad thing about looking at other lists as it only makes your list longer! But thanks to Bucket List stalker Annette for all the work in compliling the lists here.

Looking at other bucket lists though taught me something about myself. While I have a 10 day travel limit imposed by my husband which makes some things difficult (like being a missionary for a month) my personal relationship goals have all been achieved. I met and married my soul mate. I have three beautiful, healthy children. So instead of lamenting the fact that I cannot achieve that which souls who are still searching can do, I am praising God that the hardest most difficult achievements have been taken care of for me!

AS I said before 2011 has been sadly lacking in bucket list cross offs. None of which are travel related. I have four more days and two things I want to complete. I'll post Saturday if they get accomplished!

Brazil, Morocco, London to Ibiza, straight to LA, New York, Vegas to Africa

2011-12-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

I have mentioned before my penchant for inserting travel HAH's into conversations. It's an internal competition I really need to stop because, frankly, it's obnoxious! Even to me. Today while working out to On the Floor by Jennifer Lopez I counted the places I'd been. And then BANG another entry to the Bucket List is made:
BRAZIL,
Morocco (to be completed in 11 weeks ACK!)
London (done)
IBIZA
LA (done)
New York(done)
Vegas (DONE AND DONE AND DONE)
Africa (to be completed in 11 weeks and a cheat really since Morocco is IN Africa!)

So basically all I have left is Brazil and Ibiza. And yes I did rush home to make sure they were on the bucket list already (Christ Redeemer? Check!)

The video cracks me up. It's like one long commercial. I imagine creating travel videos with all these product placements!

Counting down to the cruise

2011-12-27T13:33:00.000-06:00

This January we are travelling with the little ones (not taking the teenager) on a Caribbean cruise. This is their Christmas present, and frankly if I had my way travel would ALWAYS be our Christmas presents! It's only a 5 day cruise and we have two ports, Falmouth, Jamaica and Labadee, Haiti. It's hard to describe Labadee to those who have never visited and I was happy to find this youtube from Travel with Kids that helps explain it.

I would love to create videos and such like this about travel for a job. Writing off or getting paid to travel is becoming my life long dream!

Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad

2011-12-25T22:52:00.000-06:00

The year is ending and soon I will need to revisit my bucket list which I believe has been sadly ignored in 2011. I did finish my masters so it's not like it was a complete waste! But otherwise my year has just been about fun and happiness and in my opinion sometimes we need that. Time. Joy. Reflection. Not that it has been travel free. I went to Las Vegas three times. Took Craig on a surprise trip to San Diego and a 9 day cruise to the Caribbean. My mother threatened that I would wake up one day with my feet glued to the floor.

I posted about Hands On volunteering which is a fantastic way to see the world and help others.

The Wall Street Journal suggested for other places for voluntourism and I looked in to a couple of them.

I wish I had known about this before. I love this part of the world but having been there several times I'd rather see other countries. But if anyone mentions the south of France to me I'll remember this one!

I warned Craig that I would take him on this trip someday and he told me he might not even fight me! I think my dad would like this too!

I am most likely however to go on this one. Opportunities abound all over the world. And I think I might be able to talk some friends in to joining me. Maybe THIS is what I want to do for my 40th birthday! I mean the choices are:
Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania and Thailand. Bold being places I want to visit!

However since Craig has limited my travel to 10 days away then I might have to limit myself to one of these countries with their Insight Abroad programs:
Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, Morocco, Peru, and Russia. All program fees are 100% tax deductible. Now it seems the biggest issue will be deciding which one!

A Vegas you don't normally see

2011-12-23T11:45:00.000-06:00

Kelly, Jake and Amy

This is the reason you don't ask the electrical guy for directions out of the convention center. Picture not taken: Us climbing a wall to get out of the parking garage. But fun was had by all!

Around the world tickets- bookmarked for future reference

2011-12-22T16:51:00.000-06:00

Thanks Nancy, for informing me about these tickets. I knew it was something that Delta Skymiles offered. Now i'm thinking this might be something to save up for. 280,000 miles though is an awful lot. But for round the world tickets....in Business class? I'm thinking!!!!

Forum description that is old but has lots of info

Airplane safety of the germaniac kind

2011-12-21T12:25:00.000-06:00

I can only post so many times about bed bugs before I can be classified as bugaphobic. But thanks to Yahoo I'm all freaked out over germs on an airplane. As it is I travel with clorox wipes for the remote control and phone in my hotel rooms. Now I think all extra bottles will be filled with anti-bacterial spray and gels.

So now I have a handy to do and don't list that will keep me from looking like an Asian tourist during the SARS heydey. If I could figure a way to travel with an breathing mask comfortably and fashionably I'd do it.

1. Avoid pillows and blankets from the airlines Yeah, been doing this for years. My phobias are not new.

2. Avoid seat-back pockets. This I hadn't thought of before. I tend to put crap there and leave it but every once in a while will store something there. NEVER AGAIN.

3. Use the air vest to block your face. Hah. Take that nasty germs. I'm all defensive on your ass!

4. Avoid sick travellers. The trick for me here is how to do it without a major event. Umm excuse me flight attendant I need a seat away from Typhoid Mary plase!

5. Hydrate. Although I only drink bottled water on planes and in foreign countries because bottled water offends the one tree-hugging gene I have in my body but the thought of the water siting whoever knows how long in those plane tanks offends me more. Also why I never drink plane coffee.

Vegas pics- HOOVER DAM(age)

2011-12-21T09:01:00.000-06:00

Every time we go to Vegas we always talk about travelling outside the city to view the beauty and magnificence that is the desert surrounding it. At the very least visiting Hoover Dam. In April friends went to ride dune buggies but we didn't want to spend the $500 on that. Instead we dumped it at the craps table and maybe also got a massage. Honestly with the pool and the heat and the around the world drinking Tracie and I did that trip is a wee bit hazy.

ANYWAY. When Craig's uncle DROVE to Vegas this last visit to meet us there it afforded a perfect opportunity to take the very short trip to the dam. It's like 30 minutes away! Plus it kept us away from the tables which were bleeding us DRY! The Hoover Dam is now bypassed by the way with this bridge:

and finding the exit was a little more difficult than would be thought with three college-educated people in the car. It's not like the signs were in a foreign language. The bridge can be walked across but we were in a time crunch so we parked (for $8) and walked to the dam to get a view of the bridge we had just crossed (which is a marvel in and of itself) and then lean over the very short wall that protects you from certain death to take a picture of the full dam.

Tours are very expensive and we didn't have the time and we had already seen the inner workings with my dad but I would highly recommend them to others!

Shopping: San Juan, Puerto Rico

2011-12-19T09:01:00.000-06:00

Because I had done my research beforehand I was determined to not leave San Juan without a purse. For a unique gift that no one else hed ever heard of I went to Concalma which is like shopping in a storage room. I have to admit it was strange. Some of the handbags hung from poles throughout the store and some were laid out on a table with no particular pattern. But the bags were exactly what I was looking for: handmade in Puerto Rico by a women's coop.

Then of course I shopped for a Parazul bag for me. Overall, my biggest memory of Puerto Rico is shopping :) Though the fact that the ship arrived at 7am and left at 2pm had a lot to do with that.

Also the fact that my other memory is my son calling to tell me he was in a wreck. Great thing about cell coverage is finding out what is going on at home. And then again. It isn't always good news :(

File Cabinet: Paris, Folder: Notre Dame

2011-12-07T12:21:00.000-06:00

This blog really is becoming a large filing cabinet of travel information for me. Conde Nast Traveler has a list of things that are hidden about Notre Dame, kept here for posterity.

And because I'm worried that this link won't last forever here is the list copied here:

The Towers
Originally, spires were designed for the towers of Notre Dame. It's a mystery why they were not actually built. Money wasn't an issue, as construction of the cathedral continued after the towers were erected. Perhaps it was thought that the building was high enough; even without the spires it towered high above the houses that crowded close to the front.

The Sorbonne
Huge cloisters used to exist to the left of the front of Notre Dame, where there is now housing, but they were destroyed by fire in the 17th century. It was in these cloisters that the University of Paris began, as a theological school for training clergy. The University was born well before the present cathedral, and also before its predecessor, the Romanesque cathedral of St. Stephen, built around 1100. Nobody is quite sure when the school debuted, but it had to have been during the time of the much earlier Carolingian basilica that stood on the site. It was only in 1253, when Robert de Sorbon, the then-bishop of Paris, had an edifice built to house it, that the school moved indoors and took the name Sorbonne, in honor of the bishop.

St. Anne Portal
The cathedral's right-side doorway is an example of medieval recycling; you can tell because it is not a true Gothic portal. Notice the rounded arch marking what was the top of the door above the head of the Virgin Mary. It was the main portal of the Romanesque cathedral torn down to make way for Notre Dame, but it was reused here by setting it into a Gothic arch. A closer look reveals how stiff and stylized the figures are, compared with those on the other two portals dating from more than 100 years later. Another interesting point is that all the male figures depicted on the tympanum of this portal are wearing pointed hats. Why? Because these men are all Jews, and pointed hats were worn by Jewish men in medieval France.

Theophilus Narrative
There are fascinating representations of the Theophilus narrative, depicted twice on the north side of Notre Dame. It is a Marian miracle tale that is basically a medieval Faust legend. A clerk sells his soul to the devil to obtain a higher office, regrets his decision, prays to the Virgin Mary who then goes into hell to obtain his contract. Once she returns it to him, he lives a virtuous life and goes to heaven upon his death. Since the north of Notre Dame faced a cloister with canons living inside, it makes sense that this was an "anti-ambition" message that the men should stay in their place.

St. Thomas
The 19th-century restorers who worked on medieval churches and cathedrals loved to leave something of their own time and often of themselves. Viollet-le-Duc, who was in charge of the renovations, was no different. Rising up to the base of the spire, which, incidentally, is Viollet-le-Duc's ideal version of a medieval spire, you'll see four groups of three men in bronze, now green from oxidation. These are the 12 apostles. The top apostle on the south side of the peaked roof of the transept has his elbow in the air, with his hand shielding his eyes. This is St. Thomas, the patron saint of architects. But it's also a self-portrait of Viollet-le-Duc himself, looking up at the spire that he has built, no doubt admiring his own efforts.

Paris shopping (via context travel)

2011-12-06T14:51:00.000-06:00

Context Travel's blog lists 8 things to buy in Paris. I feel the need to share here and comment (of course).

1. Chocolate. In the 6th there are a couple of my favorite places to buy chocolates: for gifts, for inspiration, for their artistry. Patrick Roger at 108 Boulevard Saint-Germain and Pierre Marcolini at 89 Rue Seine. I’m sure there are more and even better ones. Please add your ideas below.

2. Everyone knows that clothes are just better in Paris. Often more expensive, I’ll submit, but always higher quality, better style, nicer stores and displays. The same holds true for children’s clothing. In the Gap and Old Navy-filled US, the contrast to comparably-priced French chain stores is stark. My favorites are Du Pareil Au Même and Okaidi for jeans, stylish tops, and scarves for kids.

Um yeah only if you are size 8 or less. Which I am not. Nor have I been since 1985. When I was 10 years old.

3. In the same vein as item number 2, I’ll admit that I always buy my daughters’ underpants in Paris. Before you think I am really crazy, let me explain. I have three daughters, so those little bits of cotton and elastic get a lot of wear and the standard ones tend to fray at the waist and legs and split at the seems right around daughter number 2. There is an expensive brand that holds up impeccably through all three that can be found in boutique US shops. The brand is Petite Bateau and in Paris you can pick up 3-packs at your local Monoprix—French version of Target.

4. Garrice at 30 Rue de Rivoli. I never buy, but I love to look.

5. This one’s a little out-dated, but still on my list. Muji is a Japanese brand that is now found in most major cities (though not Philadelphia), but when I moved to Paris from Rome it was really only here and in Japan. Think Ikea, but small, high-end, and Japanese; then add clothes; then make them fit smaller people really well. You see why I like them?

6. Comptoir des Contonniers I do buy, here.

7. Fleur de sel. Yes, I know you can get it on Amazon, but I still pick up a package from the market in Paris.

Also I find Herbs de Provence and get them too.

8. The pharmacy. Any one will do. There are several in each neighborhood and they are chock full of things I need. I always get sunscreen here, usually Avène or LaRoche Posay. I get skin cream from Caudalie, shaving cream from Avène, and whatever homeopathy I can think of.

Had a HORRID experience once finding nail polish remover in a French pharmacy. They scare me.

A month of posts complete

2011-12-05T13:16:00.000-06:00

I am proud that I finished the whole month of posts but don't really want the stress of it again! I need to have some plan though or I will go another 10 months without posting! So I want to commit to 2 posts a week at least.

So to start this week I will share a funny from our Vegas trip this past weekend. We went again for NFR with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend. Winter makes travel difficult and NFR means boots so we needed to pack an extra bag. But in reality we needed to check a bag anyway for (get this) Craig's DEODERANT. For whatever reason Craig has decided to use Arrid extra dry (BIL to husband "Um Craig, 1985 called, they want their deoderant back!")

So when I told him we had to check a bag because of his deoderant he told me I needed to stop hating on his Arrid. I love that man!

Close to home: Schokolad

2011-11-30T12:21:00.000-06:00

Because I live here sometimes I forget that San Antonio is a tourist destination. The things that annoy me about this city other people like and appreciate. Like the fact that San Antonians have no pioneer spirit. Locals prefer chains, places where they know what to expect when they go out to eat. I shouldn't judge. I love me some chain food like Smith & Wollensky's or Pappsitos. I even love local chains like Taco Cabana and Bill Miller's. But I sat in judgement last weekend comparing Gigi's cupcakes (a clear national chain) to Betty Jane's (a small local bakery) and smugly proclaimed Betty Janes as better. I thought I had the ability to spot chain food from a mile away. A foodie of sorts.

I was wrong.

In the midst of errands my mother and I took my daughter to Schokolad. I made noises about being proud to support small businesses (which it is, don't get me wrong). And then when I looked for their website I found it is in fact a chain. A national chain. International if you count their ISRAELI store.

I've made clear that I'm not a fan of chocolate. Brownies and chocolate cake make me queasy. What I do like is marzipan (often covered in chocolate....dark is my preference) and anything coconut. I think I would eat pig teeth if they were coated in coconut. Typically I buy a 15 piece box with a mix of things the family loves and everyone knows which are mine to avoid. Their chocolates are fantastic and the owner of the San Antonio store is a sweetheart. If you are interested in supporting a small business with great delicacies, this is your place. If you are looking to find a non-chain store you can smugly claim to know (yes, yes I do this often) then this is not your place. I actually know of a place that is but have yet to visit there yet. Maybe that should be my homework. Sigh. If I have to!

Do I really want my wine intake regulated?

2011-11-29T20:39:00.000-06:00

A fellow Paris traveller posted this restaurant on my facebook wall. TripAdvisor makes me think it's a love it or hate it type of place.

I'm thinking if I want fondue though I might try this place instead. OMG their website is precious! The English translation is EXACTLY how I picture my French sounding!!

At the restaurant bread wine cheese, all our wines are selected by Vincent Durand, oenologist.
While remaining accessible, the choice is done according to cheeses and of the dishes to the menu,
without forgotten some great vintage of Bourgogne, the area of Fred,
the owner of the places. (Gevrey chambertin, Puligny montrachet…)

If a bottle makes you of too, set out again with!

I have to say that again.

If a bottle makes you of too, set out again with!

Because I am only slightly joking when I say the government loves the internet to keep track of us!

2011-11-28T22:22:00.000-06:00

The places I've been and want to go:

View my profile
Create your own travel map or travel blog
Find vacation rentals at TripAdvisor

I don't know who these parents are but I wanna be their kid

2011-11-28T01:11:00.000-06:00

So Frommers has this list of 35 places to take your kid before he or she grows up and yeah. I wanna go to these now. How do I adopt these people as parents who can afford the time and money to take kids to all of these in 18 years... That's two places a year, people!

I was pleased to see Columbia River which ALL of my children have seen. I feel like such an accomplished parent. Or I would if it weren't for the fact that my dad worked on the rivers in Washington. But hey I'll give them credit for getting us to Multnomah Falls and Vista House anyway!!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

2011-11-26T13:06:00.000-06:00

How could I not take a picture of the rooster that was rounding up his hens while we waited for our ATV on St. Maarten?

I wonder if iguanas eat chicken?

Ubi o ubi est meus sububi?

2011-11-25T10:02:00.000-06:00

The title is horribly bastardized Latin I was taught decades ago which means Where or Where is my Underwear? Can't imagine where this post is going, can you? Long ago I remember reading that you can pack less by only taking a couple pairs of underwear and then cleaning them in the sink as needed.

This seems very stupid to me. How big is your underwear that packing 3-4 fewer will save that much space??? For me this is one thing I always pack enough of if not extra! I use it to fill in shoes and boots to retain their shape in packing. I have used them to fill in breakables to prevent crushing in travel (yeah there is a crazy story about dirty underwear and French customs I'm going to have to share one day).

My friend mentioned that she tried to do this once not thinking about the fact that hotel rooms aren't often kept warm enough to dry out the underwear quick enough so she had to wear wet underwear one day and then dry them with a hair dryer the next.

Yeah, I'll pack fewer shoes or jeans, but never fewer underwear!

Thanksgiving Bonus---Morocco email

2011-11-24T09:59:00.000-06:00

A fellow Moroccan traveller forwarded an email from a friend that only gets me more excited about the trip!

You have made an incredible investment. Morocco was one of the absolute coolest places I have ever been. We went to Fez, only for about 4 days but there's a lot you can pack into a short period there.

Cities in Morocco and north Africa in general are incredibly old, so the way they are structured now is usually split into two parts. Every city has within it an Old City (the "medina," which in Arabic just means "city") and a New City. I don't know where you're going, but you'll likely be spending most of your time in the old city. These areas date back hundreds and hundreds of years, and are usually surrounded by an enormous wall with 3 or 4 main entrances, remnants of the ancient fortress city structure. There are also no cars or trucks allowed in the old city, mostly because even the main old city streets are often no wider than 15 feet (be warned if you are claustrophobic; some of the smaller residential streets feel like attic crawl spaces). The Medina in Fez, which used to be the capital, is the largest urban area in the world with no automobiles.

The Medinas are also more conservative, traditional areas. You have to go into the new city areas to find any alcohol, for example. And there are cats everywhere. In Morocco they are like pigeons for some reason.

The new city is pretty straightforward though: wide boulevards, grocery stores, gas stations, but still quite beautiful.

I don't know if you're going with a group or have some sort of tour package, but my advice would be to plan ahead to get some solid tour guides. Morocco has a huge tourist industry, so there are a ton of tour companies, big and small, that have guides certified by the government. When you're walking around the old city, every other Moroccan dude tries to be your guide. Don't let them. They will even follow you along for awhile. MOROCCANS ARE AGGRESSIVE. Don't get intimidated. Be firm. It's just an aggressive, bartering, market kind of culture.

But if you have a certified guide, the random street guys will take the hint and leave you alone for the most part. Without a good guide you will get lost in the old city. At least at first. There are no two ways about it really.

(The way it works, typically, is that the guides will have a set program in mind for you with cool touristy places to visit [like shops, tanneries, pottery kilns, tourist mosques, scenic areas, etc.]. Whether the guides are certified or not, they will probably get a commission from the places they take you, so just bear that in mind. This is a totally legitimate business practice [if the guide is legit], but it can be rather manipulative too.)

I've written way more than you wanted to hear probably. I loved Morocco though, so it's fun to give advice. Let me know if you have any more questions!

Morocco cooking class

2011-11-24T08:04:00.000-06:00

Today is Thanksgiving so I figured a food post would be appropriate!

I'm debating on this cooking class in Marrakech. It seems pricey but i'll ask the other travellers what they think.

There seems to be a variety of options though. Dar Zaman's blog suggested these two:

This one is only 45 Euro.

This one is at a hotel that also has a hammam.

Iguanas are the armadillos of St. Maarten

2011-11-24T00:21:00.000-06:00

People not from Texas think armadillos are the neatest animals. So strangely fascinating. Those who live in Texas realize they are a garden and lawn destroying road hazard. I hate the buggers. They are nearly impossible to get rid of when you have one rooting in your garden to make a den and they can ruin a yard looking for grubs.

Initially I thought the iguanas on St. Maarten were fascinating but when Craig let a golf ball go because he didn't want to fight THIS:

in the brush for it, I realized they weren't as cute as one would believe. Notice the thing's tail isn't even all showing. It had to be 5 feet long.

Not pictured: Craig's white face and fast walk back to the golf cart!

Angelina Tea Room

2011-11-22T11:09:00.001-06:00

A friend posted on her facebook page a picture of hot chocolate at a Parisian cafe. I checked it out and sit here and wonder. HOW HAVE I NOT HEARD OF THIS BEFORE??? Chocolate is ordinarily NOT my thing but I'm willing to try it :) Will have to warn one travel mate though who is allergic to chocolate.

After a quick search I found this page at Bite of the Best which gives a personal account of travelling with children.

Places in France had more background info and details:

Angelina was once known as Rumpelmayers and this tea salon was first established back in 1903 and was once a favourite of famous people like Audrey Hepburn and Coco Chanel, more recent Angelina was taken over by the Groupe Bertrand in 2005.

And although it is known as a tea salon, it does serve breakfasts, lunches and desserts, so is therefore more like a cafe. Plus their African hot chocolate served on a silver tray with cream separate, is what has made this place so famous over the years, and you will be hard pushed to get a hot chocolate anywhere near as good elsewhere.

The interior decor with its marble topped tables, gilded ironwork and mirrors makes for a really traditional stop to rest those weary legs after you have been trudging around The Louvre which is situated just opposite Angelina's and designed by the famous architect, Edouard-Jean Niermans, it combines elegance, charm and refinement.

This traditional Parisian café doesn't actually have air conditioning, so it can get rather stifling inside on a hot day and if you leave it until late in the morning, you could end up in quite a queue just to get a seat. But there is a lovely pastry counter near the entrance, so you could always purchase something from here and enjoy it within the Tuilleries gardens that are just across the street.

Located in the arcades of the Rue de Rivoli in the 1st Arrondissement of Paris they serve some excellent salads and quiches plus light dinners, but it is the chocolate lovers that flock here. And although it is popular both with Parisians and tourists, very little English is spoken, so it may be an idea to brush up on a few bits of French, like knowing that their signature hot chocolate is called chocolat L'Africain.

But this is still a very unique place to enjoy the famous hot chocolate and the incredible Mont Blanc gateau, with the old recepe still being a closely guarded secret along with the terrific decor.

Cafe & Restaurant Guide Key Points

Open daily from 8am through to 7pm

Angelina is situated near to the Jardin de Tuileries and to the West of The Louvre next to the Hôtel Meurice on the Rue de Rivoli.

Their famous hot chocolate is around 7€, with a bowl of chips approximately 6€ and also renowned for their pastries, an apple tart around 5.50€.

There is no particular dress code and casual attire is fine.

The closest Metro stations are either the Concorde or the Tuileries.

Address & Contact Details:

Angelina
226 Rue de Rivoli
75001
Paris
France

Telephone: 1 42 60 82 00
Fax: 1 42 86 98 97

Multi-city travel or the Hop Skip and Jump method of Travel

2011-11-21T08:49:00.000-06:00

In the past I had always flown in and out of the same city. This made my multicountry travel much like a giant merry go round, only madly dashing to ensure that I ended in the right place at the right time to fly home.

There was no way I could do this when I wanted to travel with Stuart last year to Berlin and Prague. So I looked at the cost of flying in to one city and out the other and I was SHOCKED to discover it was cheaper to do that than it was to fly round trip to Prague. This is partly because Prague is so freaking expensive to fly to anyway.

So when I planned my Morocco trip and found that I would have a SEVENTEEN hour layover in Paris I figured this was stupid so I planned a stay there. So basically I use the AIRLINE to create my giant merry go round of travel. And by the grace of God this trip cost exactly the amount of points I had left to travel!!

Anyhoo, don't be afraid to mix it up when you travel. Don't be afraid to see more than one city much less fly in and out of more than one city. Most people only have one vacation a year (or less) don't shortchange your trip!

Terezin bus stop, the art of finding the needle in a haystack.

2011-11-20T09:49:00.000-06:00

I always make fun of my friend Debby who takes so many pictures you can flip them like an action book. I take far fewer but my son still made fun of me with all the pictures I took on our trip last year. Stupid stuff. Like us sitting for a bus that kept passing us by.

We weren't completely stupid we did try to ask several people where the bus stop was and they would wave their hands and give us general directions. We walked all the way into the tiny town once. And I mean tiny. We learned a valuable lesson. Czech people outside Prague do not speak or understand English. Or Spanish. We tried both. So we walked back praying someone else would be going home. The day was getting late and the prospect of trying to find a hotel in Terezin was not appealing.

I tried to lighten the mood by taking a picture of us waiting for the bus that passed us by and wasn't stopping because we were obviously not waiting for him in the correct spot! Eventually we got up to walk back to the giant parking lot where they sold drinks and food and I noticed a small sign. As I got closer I realized this small unmarked sign was the bus stop back to Prague. And then immediately a group of Spanish women cross the street and asked us in heavily accented Czech if this was the spot.

My son explained in Spanish that we believed so and not long after a bus appeared and stopped. Now looking back I'm so happy I ended up with a picture of that crazy experience which to me makes travel all the more fun!

I love the older woman looking at us probably wondering why the heck we are sitting on this wall in front of nothing on the side of the street!:

On Location: Morocco

2011-11-19T15:03:00.000-06:00

Apparently I really need to watch Inception. My son has been trying to get me to watch this for years and it's got several future travel places in it!

Inception
The Bourne Ultimatum
Green Zone
Mamma Mia! I can't remember where this was in the movie. I've seen it several times!
Sahara
Sex and the City 2 (though really not wanting to see this one!)

Packing Cubes

2011-11-18T17:24:00.000-06:00

On the March cruise to the Caribbean I noticed that Craig's cousin's children had all their clothes separated into days by Ziploc bags. I have done this before on a camping trip when I thought it would rain and obviously this would be difficult for people who are adult sized. I could maybe get one pair of jeans in one of those bags!

However, there are adult versions of this idea. They are called Packing Cubes and I love love love them! I have like 5 so far and plan to get more for my coming trips.

Here's a link to show what they look like. Cool Colors too!!

Eurail: Don't leave home without it

2011-11-17T16:08:00.000-06:00

Years ago when I travelled to Europe with Carrie the first time we got Eurail passes that allowed us to travel a set number of days during the time we were there. They were by far one of the best purchases we made. When I answered my former student's question I realized that what happened 20 years ago may not still be correct so I checked it out.

From Eurail.com

Create your own Eurail Pass: choose five bordering countries in Europe to explore. A customized pass that makes your dream trip a reality.

You can travel the five (bordering) countries in any order you like, and travel back and forth between them, too.
Adults travel 1st class. Youth under 26 can order the discounted 2nd class Youth Pass.Groups or families can use the Saver Passes.
Children age 4-11 get a 50% discount, and groups that travel together see great savings, too!

The tricky thing is that you have to by this BEFORE you leave the US.

For travelers who are younger than 26 (counted on their 1st day of travel).
The Youth Pass gives approx. 35% discount on the Adult 1st class fare.
Valid in 2nd class only. Youth who prefer 1st class can buy an Adult Pass.
Only non-European residents can use a Eurail Pass.
You need to activate your Eurail Pass within 6 months of the issuing date.

There is also a Global Pass which covers all 22 countries!!!

Hostel Q&A

2011-11-16T15:53:00.000-06:00

A former student sent me a question via facebook and I figured I'd save it here :) This is me talking my way out of ignorance!!

I have a friend who plans to go to Europe for a month after she finishes grad school so I've got tentative plans to tag along. This would be May of 2013. She wants to just backpack her way around and stay in hostels. I wonder what your opinion about that is. Horror movies aside I'm not gonna disappear if I enter one of these things am I? Haha. At this point in my life I'm kind of use to staying in pretty nice places, but I'm not apposed to packing light and staying places cheap. In this case the trip is more important than the accommodations, but I tend to be overly pessimistic

I personally have never stayed in a hostel for a couple reasons. I get all my money before I leave so I don't have to pay for transaction and change fees. This means I either can place my money in a safe at a hotel or carry it with me everywhere I go. Hostels are notorious for being open and allowing others into your room. I am particular about cleanliness and hygiene and I'm freaky about bed bugs. This might be prejudices on my side but I'm concerned about that in hostels more than hotels where the almighty dollar (weak as it is) can be used as a threat to get a better/cleaner room.

If you do decide to go this route, do your research. Look at reviews. You have enough time. DO NOT just drop in. Know where you are going and make sure it is the place you think it is. If you are travelling to different countries I would suggest staying on an overnight train. This way you go to sleep in one country and wake up in another and it's often cheaper than a hotel. Plus you don't waste a day on travel!

Are you under 25? Look into Youth hostels and the Youth pass on Eurail. When I went when I was your age we got a 7 day pass for all of Europe. This way you have 7 days of unlimited travel. They are relatively inexpensive and very reliable forms of transportation.

I am so excited for you!! KLM and Air France offer nonstop flights out of Houston to Amsterdam and Paris so you don't waste any travel time in the states. Ask me anything and I'll help if I can!!!

Halfway mark...

2011-11-15T12:13:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty proud that my commitment to post every day in November is moving along. Thanksgiving days will be tough but I figured out how to schedule posts! That isn't cheating is it????

So for a bonus: How to Hammam

On Location: Paris

2011-11-15T07:51:00.000-06:00

I think I will watch Bourne Identity again to get a feel for Paris. Other movies with Paris as a location (just a few because there are tons!!!) The Italicized ones I've seen before.

The Truth About Charlie

French Kiss

Gigi

Le divorce

Inception (which we own and my son has been trying to get me to watch so maybe I'll give in!)

Monte Carlo

Jumper

Think I will be renting Le divorce and Monte Carlo soon!!

Every beating heart becomes a part of....Paris in the Spring

2011-11-14T08:33:00.000-06:00

Lonely Planet Article

I need to research how these apps work in foreign countries...would hate to have a $1000 phone bill when I get home!!!

So can I get a window seat?

2011-11-13T13:08:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine calls me because she is brave and travelling to meet me overseas all by herself! But she has never been on a Transatlantic flight and wanted to know where the best place to sit would be. So I offered her a few tips:

1. Get a window seat! That way you can lean against it to sleep. BUT be sure to take some sort of pillow and a blanket or jacket of sorts. There is a larger space between the plane side and seat than you would think so it can get awkward!

2. Sit where it is only two seats. You will want to get up at least twice to walk around and get blood moving in your legs. This way you aren't crawling over several people to get to the restroom etc.

3. Sit in the middle or front. These are the places served food first. The faster you get your food, the faster you can fall asleep!!! Try to get as much sleep as possible.

4. If you don't mind a hum sit over the engine. I like this as it puts me to sleep but another friend thinks it keeps her awake. So pay attention to the plane layout to make sure you are sitting where you want!

5. ALWAYS no matter what GET A SEAT ASSIGNMENT. I am shocked at the people that show up to the airport with a ticket but no seat assignment. They are the first ones bumped! Get a seat and have a better sense of security that you will make on these often overbooked planes!

Racing travel

2011-11-12T12:56:00.000-06:00

For the past two years I travelled to San Francisco to take part in the Nike Women's race. Unfortunately it is such a popular race there is a draft and we didn't get chosen this year. Instead my daughter and I volunteered at the Rock and Roll marathon here in our home town. The sheer number of people who come for this race is astounding. one guy told me this was his 18th race. He was working to make every city in the RNR series. the man was clearly insane so I tried to cut the conversation short!

As I was uploading some pictures to my phone I found some pics from my past races. I thought maybe I should post some here to make sure I kept a record of the times I finished half-marathons. That is 13.1 miles people!

I hear you sister:

Oh the people. Lot's of people:

The reason I walk at all...the tiffany necklace!!

Puerto Rico...tropical breezes or tropic diseases?

2011-11-11T13:39:00.000-06:00

Prior to our March cruise, this is what would come to mind when I thought of Puerto Rico. America lyrics from West Side Story!

Puerto Rico

You ugly island . . .
Island of tropic diseases.
Always the hurricanes blowing,
Always the population growing . . .
And the money owing,
And the babies crying,
And the bullets flying.

BUT This is what I found when we actually went there!

This crazy mix of Caribbean and Europe. A friend of mine who was born in Puerto Rico told me the cobblestones in the picture above were counterbalance on the ships brought from Spain who would return home with tons of gold. The streets are older than America!

Needless to say, I plan on returning when I can spend more than 5 hours!

A Baguette is a baguette is a baguette, non?

2011-11-10T06:24:00.000-06:00

Strongly considering this tour of Paris from Context Travel

Comment of the day

2011-11-09T16:06:00.000-06:00

From a friend in an email:

Oh YES, flip flops are a must have - my feet never touch the floor of a hotel.

YAY! Now I know she won't look at me strangely when I flip the mattresses in our room looking for bedbug feces!

Moroccan salesman or The Art of Guilt

2011-11-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

My mother wants me to look for rugs in Morocco. Probably not realizing that this is likely a thousand dollar purchase. Or a emotionally trying experience I might perhaps need therapy for!

So I decided to do some research:

Dave's Travel Corner let me know some possible experiences I might have though the impersonal heavy-handed sales pitch is more likely for me. EBay taught me what to look for in Moroccan rugs. The girls who get around let me realize that more research would be necessary and shipping should be a consideration!

The moral of the story: I think my mother is getting a straw bag instead!

Save your Euros and spend it on FOOD!

2011-11-07T12:43:00.000-06:00

Paris is notoriously expensive.And it's not just because the dollar is currently weak against the Euro. When it comes to supply and demand, there is just one Paris and millions who travel there every year. So when I saw Context Travel's Paris manager Lily Heise put together a list of five FREE things to do in Paris I wanted to note it (and share!) Conde Nast Traveler has a blog that Context contributes to and I will be following!

Art Gallery Hop in the Haut Marais
Check out the current art scene at the city's top contemporary galleries, such as Yvon Lambert, Thaddaeus Ropac, Galerie Perrotin, located on and around the northern stretch of rue de Vieille du Temple. The streets liven up most Thursday nights when art openings are held; pick up a glass of wine and rub shoulders with the hip crowd.

Groove to a Jazz Jam Session
Discover the next Miles Davis in the depths of the Caveau des Oubliettes cellar. For the cost of a drink (there's no cover), you can find the latest musical talent daily Tuesday to Sunday starting at 10 p.m.

Taste the Latest Trends in French Wine
Get a free sampling of wine and cheese, and maybe even meet the winemaker in person, at the wine shop La Derniere Goutte, during its "2 1/2 Happy Hours" every Friday evening from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Witness Art in the Making
Since opening in 2008 in the former Municipal Funeral Service headquarters, Le Centquatre has offered a hip array of exhibits and happenings. Check out the creations of the artists-in-residence, experience performance artist or take in an electro-tango concert. While many evens here are free, some require tickets, so check the website before you head over.

Be, or Meet, a Modern Hemingway
Paris is a dream for literary fans and writers looking for inspiration—you'll find book launches and author appearances almost nightly at the city's anglophone bookshops, including Shakespeare and Company, The Village Voice, The Abbey Bookshop, and also at the American Library in Paris.

The Cheapest time to travel

2011-11-06T07:16:00.000-06:00

Here are some pointers about when you can travel for the best price. When to actually book the ticket for the cheapest flight can be found here.

1. Try to travel midweek. Tuesday and Wednesday are typically the cheapest travel days.
2. Travel the off-season. BUT it's the off season for a reason. Make sure you aren't vacationing right in the middle of the wet season with 40 inch rainfall total norms.
3. Try to stay a Saturday night. If you have to travel on the weekend, staying the Saturday night often means cheaper flights.
4. AVOID SCHOOL HOLIDAYS. Labor Day is a horrible time to travel because it's the last 3 day weekend of the Summer.
5.Look for trends. Know your location. If you are travelling to Vegas for a non-weekend visit. It is often cheaper to fly TO VEGAS on Sunday than FROM Vegas. Watch for planes they are trying to fill.
6. Book flights during the workday. Lots of people try to avoid missing workdays and using up holiday time so they take later flights out. Taking a mid day flight is often cheaper.

I realize that booking cheap tickets is an art form, but it is extremely rewarding!

Make time don't wait part II

2011-11-05T09:58:00.000-06:00

So I mentioned before the awesome trip Kathryn and I had to Monticello in the rain. As it gets cold, I tend to think about my first trip to NYC two years ago. It was cold and snowy and I learned that the iphone needs warm finger to work so I spent lots of time blowing on my fingers to warm them up! I was determined to see the top of the Empire State building though and every time we tried to get a little closer to the top the people who worked there would try to turn us away. I think they just wanted a break in their day though.

This method must have worked had I not been so sincerely adamant about reaching the top of the tower. Apparently in my adamant state, I neglected to notice that my friend, Marci was not terribly thrilled with heights. But after I came out of my own little world and kept saying that Jesus would not let me travel all the way to NYC without seeing the view from the top she stopped protesting. Probably because she was now thinking she was climbing up a super tall building with a crazy person.

And when we first got out it appeared we really were the only people who thought there would be a view. It did however afford this once in a lifetime shot! (See Marci's shoulder the only other person up there in the bottom left!)

Then the clouds parted and we were able to see the whole city. All the way down to Macy's and Rockefeller Center. We could just make out the ice skaters. The pictures were too far away to do the view justice but this one of Macy's is nice.

And I learned yet again. Don't Wait. Make Time. Because when everyone else decides it's time to quit those offer the best pictures and experiences!

Best time to book a flight (as in time of day you buy the ticket)

2011-11-04T06:39:00.000-06:00

I'm really surprised at how many people don't know the tricks of the airline industry. The know people are at work surfing the net for vacation plans and jack up prices during work hours. Also people have time to surf over the weeked so prices are high then too. I always find luck on Wednesday or Thursday nights. And I never buy the first flight I find unless it is such an awesome deal I'd kick myself if I didn't. This has happened exactly once for me.

So here are some helpful tips:

1. Check multiple times in the day
2. Try to look on Wednesday or Thursday evenings.
3. Get signed up for deal alerts from your favorite carriers. For me it is Delta and Southwest.
4. If you have time or are a night owl looking at the website shortly after midnight on Wednesday because this is when all the unbooked reservations.
5. First isn't always best. If you are willing to risk it you can find cheaper flights as the date gets closer and the airline is trying to fill the plane. My friend Kathryn is a master at this.

Nothing like shaking naked tatas to send you to the gym

2011-11-03T14:03:00.000-06:00

I've been praying for God to send me some self-control and motivation to get fit. Oh how He knows me so well! The abnormal medical test results didn't work. The lectures from the doctors (yes plural, my fat ass needs to get healthy) didn't work. But guess what has gotten my butt to fitness classes three days in a row???

THIS DID:

For those who are unaware this is a HAMMAM, where as Top 10 Marrakech
puts it: Women go naked. That's right nekkid. It's all same sex but still! My white pasty, cottage cheese ass around all these thin, lithe tanned Moroccan women? Um, Weight lifting and Aerobic class anyone?

I shall celebrate by eating fake German Patty Melts.

2011-11-02T07:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was my dear friends' last day in San Antonio. Today they fly out to Germany to begin a new chapter in their lives. I am happy yet sad. Already I've been thinking about things I want to try here in SA and realize my testing buddy will be thousands of miles away is just now hitting me! I am especially honored that the last person they had lunch with before they left is ME! I let them pick (which is never a losing battle because they have great ideas!) and they chose Bobby J's Burgers.

The staff is friendly and the food is fantastic. How could I possible pass up this???

Ok even though they aren't moving anywhere near Bavaria, I had to send a tribute to them by eating Saurkraut.

Ich liebe Sauerkraut!

Ich werde sie vermissen Cindy und Mike. Auf Wiedersehen.

By this logic I am also wanted in INDIA

2011-11-01T07:03:00.000-06:00

In March my husband's cousin celebrated his 40th anniversary with a cruise. While this sounds fun in general it morphed into a 9 day excursion and ten missed days of work for my husband. (He mentions his lack of time off every month now so I'm pretty clear on the time he had to take off). Part of this is my fault because I unequivocally told birthday boy that I would not go on a cruise to Mexico.

I live in Texas. I live the Mexican culture every day. The idea of visiting Mexico is not appealing to me. I was apparently so emphatic in my refusal to go that my husband finally asked if I was in fact Wanted in Mexico for some crime.

Well, no. But it did make me realize that when people talk about vacations or places they want to visit on very seldom do I shudder and think No Thanks. Mexico is one of these places. India is another. The fact that both these places still have leper colonies is not to be overlooked, but I'm really not sure why I am so adamant about avoiding these places.

I'd take a vacation to Tehran and Kabul over Monterrey and Bombay any day!

Since I talked about a cruise, here is the requisite Cruise room Picture (more will follow in this month of postings!!)

Best laid plans and all that

2011-10-30T18:43:00.000-06:00

So this was the year to take a vacation from travel and I have already completed one 9 day cruise, two trips to Vegas and a surprise getaway to San Diego. Additionally in a few weeks I plan to hit Vegas AGAIN for NFR. (Again.) So maybe my vacation vacation didn't work out so well.

However I did get my degree and I do feel a lot less stressed so overall life is good!

Last night I had a costume party bon voyage for some great friends that are moving to Germany. I am so proud of them for making this change and so very very proud that I was one of the first people they told! I'm glad they knew I would support them in this incredibly nerve-wracking time but C put it best when she said "The idea of staying here was more anxiety ridden than the though of moving" paraphrased somewhat because my memory only speaks like I do! And I wondered how many of my choices in life could be made by weighing what it would be like if I DIDN'T do it versus if I DID.

Deep thoughts.

This past year has given me quite a bit of new ideas to share here and I want to get them all out. November is NANOWRIMO which is the month to write a novel. I don't want to commit to this but I DO want to commit to writing every day for the month of November. Something. Anything. To get all these ideas from my head and onto the site for posterity. Plus I have some trips I'm planning now and I want to think through all my ideas.

So see ya Tuesday!

A travel vacation--A vacation FROM travel

2011-01-19T09:41:00.001-06:00

Last year I was a travelling maniac. I went to Vegas (twice I think), San Francisco, Denver, New York, the Bahamas, and then to Berlin and Prague. I ended the year travelled out thinking I didn't want to take another vacation for a year. Which would be interesting considering I already had a Caribbean cruise booked for my cousin-in-law's fortieth birthday.

Other than that, I wanted to stay home. Nest. Spend my last year with my oldest son at home. And yet....

Yesterday I found myself looking up plane tickets. To Spain. I have a free round trip ticket to Europe and I'm torturing myself because I cannot and will not book another ticket until after I graduate from school in May. Then I can plan an awesome trip without stress. One I can make sure is paid for and doesn't have to compete for payments against my tuition. Although it might compete against my son's.

Well no tickets except for the trip to Vegas we scheduled. But that was for DH. I'm just along for the ride. And the free Love tickets :)

Text from my son

2010-11-05T19:06:00.000-06:00

It was so weird, I saw prague and the river we stayed next to in a video in government class.

This is why I travel. It put life and living into context. And this is why I will take all my kids out of the country before I send them off to college.

And to put it in to context for you. Here is the River.

Rome----Ciao Bambino makes me long for it

2010-10-09T12:45:00.000-05:00

Craig has often says he wants to return to Italy but to get a house for a week. Travelling to Tuscany however as easy as I had imagined. You must choose to fly in to Rome or Milan and even then it's a 3 hour drive (granted a gorgeous drive I'm sure) I've been thinking about how if I fly into Rome I wouldn't be able to just pass though because HELLO It's ROME!

I love the article from the NY times 36 hours in Rome, which gives me ideas of what to do in our short layover should we crash in Rome the night before our plane leaves.

New site found- WITH CONTEST! via context travel

2010-10-08T17:28:00.000-05:00

How many times can I say I love Context Travel? Through my facebook account I noticed a contest going on at CiaoBambino! Want a 2011 Tuscan Vacation? Ok who was the knucklehead who said no? HOW CAN YOU NOT? Oh Italia I miss you so!!!

Craig and I were watching Quantum of Solace just last night and I moaned about wanting to go back to Italy. I tell you this passport is burning a hole in my pocket! Well go...sign up!

or maybe don't that way I have more of a chance to win ;)

I get knocked down (but I get up again)...

2010-09-07T12:41:00.000-05:00

In July my husband's boss told him to change his flight so he would leave the office earlier and hit Vegas in time for dinner. We had originally been booked to arrive around 8pm and wouldn't have made the dinner with the company. I obliged by and contacted Southwest Vacations who changed our times and refunded us $30. Dancing and fun ensued.

EXCEPT that I didn't pay attention to the fact that the person had ALSO changed the return time so that we didn't get in at 4pm as original instead we get in at 12:20 AM the next day. Ugh. While the thought of more time to play and have fun in Vegas initially sounds awesome, the thought of storing or toting our luggage around for an extra 8 hours did not.

Enter the front desk at Monte Carlo. I called to find out what check out time officially was and how I would be able to check out late. Turns out for an extra $50 we can stay in the room until 6 pm. This gives us time to have fun, have lunch TAKE A NAP and then head to the airport. I'm diggin this. The lady made a note in our filed reservations that we would pay cash when we got there so here is hoping it all turns out ok, because right now Craig is a bit miffed. And I will be big time miffed if I have to cart around a cranky 37 year old!

Updates on if it all works out to be posted as soon as we return.

A Berlin Sunset

2010-09-03T08:04:00.000-05:00

One Evening I looked out our hotel window in Berlin to this incredible technicolor view. These are all original colors no touch ups at all.

HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!

Park Inn Hotel Prague

2010-09-02T07:48:00.000-05:00

It's a chain. While many people love chains because it means stability, I am not a big fan of the sterility and sameness of them. However, I was unsure about the quality of hotels in Prague so I went with a chain called Park Inn. This was a few blocks off the beaten path of tourists which mean an extra stop or two on trams, but also meant seeing the university students each day going to class, and school children playing in the park with their moms and puppies. As the purpose of this trip was to show my son how America is the same and yet different from other cultures, I felt this type of location was necessary.

I had posted about the 1800 hotels disaster (of which I am now part of their Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings) and how I called the hotel to get reservations with no hitch.

Hmmm. Should have expected more problems. Because when we showed up on August 10, we were told the reservations were for OCTOBER 8! Didn't I say this would happen???? STUPID STUPID MONTH/DAY, DAY/MONTH problems.

Luckily the gracious people at Park Inn noted that I had already had the correct reservations, so not only did they accept the reservations, they also let us have the room at the pre-paid amount from the original 1800 hotel transaction. AND they didn't make us pre-pay. We were able to apply all our leftover Koruna to the balance.

To save energy most hotels in Europe require a key card (or really any card...Stuart left his student ID in there so we dind't have to have a key card in there all the time)

Typical half open European shower:

The view outside our hotel window...the roof top garden of the building next door. This was a beautiful escape to the urban sprawl.

Prague, Czech Republic : Charles Bridge

2010-08-31T07:52:00.000-05:00

The Charles Bridge is one of the things all the tour books got correct. Not a single recommended restaurant that we wanted to go to existed anymore so we spent most of the time stumbling upon restaurants for food. All of which were fantastic and cheap. If you want to go to Prague, worry not about food or food costs. You should however worry about crowds.

Prague is a vacation center for the world. At any point in time you will hear dozens of languages as you walk down the streets. In fact it felt like travelling to New York City in the 1800s. It was a melting pot of people.

One of the biggest tourist attractions in the city is the Charles Bridge.

It is absolutely beautiful and not to be missed. Standing on the bridge is like living history. The bridge is protected by three towers. This one was in Old Town, where we entered the bridge.

The bridge was first constructed in the 1300s by Kind Charles IV and finished in the early 15th century and was the only crossing of the Vlatva river until 1841 making it incredibly important for trade. This is a very large bridge but is for pedestrians only. And pedestrians use it! The bridge is usually packed with people bbut if you get there before 9 in the morning it looks like this:

Awesome right? There were probably only 20 people on the whole bridge. Were it not for getting there so early we wouldn't be able to get pictures like this:

This is definitely a must see location of Prague. And seeing it in the morning like it was all ours made it so much better.

Would you believe me if I said...

2010-08-30T15:54:00.001-05:00

that I travelled to Europe for 10 days with only a carry on? And that I made my teenage son do the same? Well we did! The last thing I wanted to worry about was missing luggage. Especially since we were flying in and out of different airports I didn't want any luggage confusion so I limited all packing. I strongly recommend TIDE packets (which you can get anywhere in the travel size section) for underwear and emergencies but otherwise I'm all big on the layering.

This means that I can wear a sweater 3-4 times without worrying about it being nasty smelling because it never really touches me. I have enough t-shirts for underneath for each day, and I pack one pair of pants for every 3 days. This is why I prefer jeans. Jeans look great the second and third day as long as no catastrophic spill occurs. Many people like the packing by bundling and I'm all for that. I have a couple of the little rectangles that make packing easy, but the BEST thing I learned is to use up EVERY bit of space available. So underwear and socks go INSIDE shoes. That is a wasted space that many people leave empty. Every little nook and cranny of my suitcase is filled so that everything I need fits in one travel sized bag.

Now this can cause problems. I didn't think about the fact that the candy dish I bought for my mother in law was Czech crystal and therefore LEAD so it caused a bit of a stir in Paris. (Not in Berlin mind you where we first got on the plane, but in Paris). What was only slightly humiliating was the fact that I had stuffed dirty socks and underwear around the glass for safety and space. So the little man in Paris was not terribly thrilled about unwrapping my sons dirty underwear to check the glass, but heh, there you have it.

I tell people pull out everything you think you have to take. And divide it in two. In fact I took a pair of shoes I wore once and should ahve left at home. But I wore a dress to the orchestra in Prague and really didn't have any other shoes that would work. So to me it was worth it :)

Tomorrow...PRAGUE PICTURES!

Prometheus had it easy

2010-08-24T08:45:00.000-05:00

You want to know serious torture? If the government really wanted to break prisoners to get information they would send them on a trip with a teenager. Seriously the first day we would get a call back from them with all the information if we would just Please. Take. Back. The. Kid.

I love my son I really do. The biggest problem is that HE I JUST LIKE ME. Who wants to go on a trip with their unique faults wrapped in a snappy mouth and surly attitude? I do! I do!

Overall my trip with my eldest was fantastic. We had a tremendous tour with Karen Pastofski on the day of his birthday (but more on that later....much more) but other than that we toured and visited places completely on our own.

Which went a lot like this:
Wake Up.
Argue.
Get on tram (or train).
Wander.
Argue.
Get Lost.
Eat.
Argue.
Buy stuff.
Argue.
Wander.
Eat.
Argue.
Get on tram (or train).
Argue.
Go to bed.

So many people have asked how I enjoyed travelling with my son. It was a lot like living with him so while others may have wanted me to shove him in a trash can to shut him up I really did enjoy our trip. We had a lot of laughs. There was a point we were walking in Berlin and saw a Johnny Cash sign and both broke in to Fulsom Prison Blues at the exact same moment in the exact same moment in the song. He asked such thoughtful questions and made very telling observations that made the trip worth it. He didn't even complain too much when I got us locked out of the hotel in Prague, or got us lost (also in Prague...I wasn't at my best in Prague).

But I did come up with some ideas for others if you want to travel with a teenager.
1. Let them sit away from you sometimes. Do you really need to sit right next to each other? They aren't going anywhere. If you get on a train or tram, let them wander away and show their independence. As long as they know where to get off they will be fine.

2. Plan for half the days to be late at night so they can sleep in. Science tells us time and again that teenagers have different sleep patterns than adults. Respect that. They really can't help it and you will find a much happier teenager later if you just let the sleeping bears lie.

3. (If you are travelling for longer than 4 days) Have a day for doing nothing. I don't mean a day that you are travelling to another city. I mean really a day that you have nowhere to be and nothing to do. Everyone needs to recharge. My son found all the places to be and see very stressful (more than I would have imagined). So having one day to just lie around and wander the local area was really fun and relaxing.

4. (If you are in a safe city) Let them go off on their own. Our rule was if we got separated meet at the the hotel. One night he got hungry late so I let him run to Micky D's for a late burger and fries. Most European cities are very safe from any violence and if he or she is only carrying enough to cover a burger pickpocketing isn't the end of the world.

4a. If you do get separated on accident (Eldest decided he didn't like our meeting place in KaDeWe and went up a floor. Without telling me. Needless to say, we met at the hotel). So he had to find his way back. He learned quickly that the best place to find English speakers to help you in any city is in HOTELS. So tell your teenager that if they feel lost. Find the nearest hotel and ask for help.

4b. Buy a travel card with unlimited travel. This way if you do get separated they just need to hop on the nearest public transportation to get you to the hotel.

5. Let them choose restaurants every other day. If they want to eat at Micky D's let them. Once. This way you both can enjoy the local cuisine but they still feel like they have some control over the trip.

6. Let them talk to their friends. We got Internet access every few days and I made sure that some of that time Eldest was able to chat with his friends. Keep up to date on the happenings back home are important to you so they would be important to him or her too right? It's not a statement of how much they wish they were home partying with their friends (OK maybe a tiny bit it is), but more a psychological need to know they aren't forgotten.

A Tale of Two Cities

2010-08-20T05:47:00.000-05:00

I could go on for some time about how the cities differ, but I wanted to really think through what made these cities similar. And in many cases these similarities are common throughout continental Europe. Regardless, these similarities made it comfortable travelling from one city to the next. And why I tell people all the time that if you have travelled to one European country don't freak out about another. Many of the customs are similar!

First off a small European Union Primer. The EU consists of 27 "states": Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. HOWEVER, not all of these states have adopted the Euro and still retain their original currency. Czech Republic is one of these countries. They still have koruna (crowns). To make things more confusing some countries use the Euro but AREN'T part of the EU (Switzerland for example).

So enough history what did I find was similar? Well these may not stick out for some and I'm sure there are tons more but the following three were enough different from the United States that I took notice.

1. Restaurants are for visiting and enjoying the meal. Service is relaxed (read slow as molasses in January). You MUST ask for your check or you will sit there for as long as you want. Also in the Czech Republic they will keep plunking down glasses of beer until you tell them to stop or ask for the bill. So learn quickly how to ask for the bill in continental Europe or your meal times will last longer than you thought!

For a type A American this actually gave me anxiety. Even when I KNEW they were waiting for me to ask, I was antsy wondering what was wrong (Had I been rude? Were they sick of Americans?) So take heart, travellers! It's not you. It's them. And you and they are doing nothing wrong!

2. Put the money down on the counter. Don't hand it to them. And they will give you your change on the counter. Don't reach for it. One would think this wouldn't be so attention garnering, but one woman jumped when my son reached for the change. LOL. there is always a little tray by the register. Use it.

Public Transportation is reliable and frankly preferable to walking. Both cities have tremendously punctual tram lines. Both have subways, but Prague's is less prevalent. Use the trams instead. Multi-day tickets in both cities cover the use of trams and trains in the city and Berlin's includes buses as well.

So these three stick out the most, but I'm sure there are more. For the most part the cities are so different. Prague was saved by war. Berlin was decimated. Prague is all about the past, the history. Berlin is about the now, and the future. Prague is relaxed and calm. Berlin is moving and brisk. Everyone has asked which one I like better and that is like asking if I have a favorite child (which by the way is NOT the oldest after this trip....KIDDING!). They are all different. They all have their own unique talents and opinions. And their own annoying behaviors. But all of them have a place in my heart....just like these two cities.

Ich bin ein Berliner...and Chinese....and Greek

2010-08-16T02:21:00.000-05:00

Coming to Germany after the Czech Republic is a refreshing change with respect to schedules and time. There is truly a clock on every street corner here (pictures to come). To get here from Prague we took a train and got a first class seat reservation...for a car that did not exist. Additionally this train was two hours late. We ended up sitting in second class with a delightful couple from The Netherlands for half the trip. Learned lots I will have to share.

The train from Prague terminated in Dresden. This was news. It was supposed to travel all the way to Berlin. So we got off train 1 onto train 2 which also was short 4 cars to find no seating. We ended up sitting with our luggage shoved between our legs in the restaurant car for the whole trip. Once we arrived in Berlin everything has gone smoothly except for the fact that these people either don't eat out at all or eat out early.

And by early I mean the restaurants are CLOSED at 8 pm. So we have been stuck eating Chinese food and Greek food for dinner the two nights we've been here. Don't get me wrong it all tastes great but I could eat this at home :) Mission today is a real German restaurant. Oh and shoppping at KaDeWe (which is also CLOSED on Sunday!)

Sedlice- The Bone Church

2010-08-13T00:39:00.000-05:00

The Middle Ages proved troublesome in many ways. All these wars and plagues were piling up the bodies right and left and filling churchyards. So what is a church to do? DECORATE! This is only a portion of the original number of bones, but over 40,000 people's remains are here in the church...decorating the interior...

i was going to ask what else could go wrong but i didn't want to jinx nmyself!

2010-08-12T13:04:00.001-05:00

So 1800 hotels filed bankruptcy and cancelled our reservations one week before our trip. At the top of my to do list when I get home is to file paperwork to get that money back. So I called to hotel direct and booked the nights woohoo!

Except that the idiot reservations person booked them for OCTOBER. Nice. but the people here saw that we had originally tried to get the correct dates and their people booked the wrong dates so we got a hotel for the price I was quoted. Soon I will give you another crazy moment in our trip.

Soon I will post my own video of Sedlec the Bone Church...hope the lighting is ok...no flash and OMG creepy!!

Watch that fine print!

2010-07-13T07:51:00.000-05:00

Here I had just posted about Freed's bakery and up pops up a Groupon THIS MORNING for half off bakery goods! Oh dear, God wants me to stay fat.

But alas, after reading the fine print I realized the coupon was only good for certain locations, none of which were near the strip. And if I asked Craig to get a taxi to take me to a bakery I would NEVER hear the end of it, so to prevent WWIII in our marriage I decided not to purchase that Groupon.

Now had the coupon been for the bakery in the Tropicana???? All bets are off ;)

Vegas food post...shocker I know

2010-07-12T12:48:00.000-05:00

Was watching Rachel Ray's $40 a day when she hit Vegas and found 2 places I'd like to try.

First, Freed's bakery which does hundred of wedding cakes a week and you can buy sliced of wedding cake any day of the week. It's located in the Tropicana.

Second Sam's Town Fireside Buffet. This is located 6 miles off the strip so it might take Craig some convincing since we are staying ion the hotel with his favorite breakfast buffet this next time (the Monte Carlo), but I'll note it here in case he decides he wants to try something new!

Good Hostess, Good Traveler, Good Friend

2010-07-09T06:16:00.000-05:00

When I grow up I want to be Janet. When I travel I am lucky to find myself a souvenir. I am fantastic at finding something I am ASKED for (like Kathryn's mosaic pin in Rome) but if someone tells me to just grab something that reminds me of them they would be lucky to get a plastic version of the Eiffel tower that I grabbed on a layover in France. People i'm on vacation, don't make me THINK.

But Janet? Janet can browse through shops throughout the world and somehow come up with the PERFECT gift in a foreign country without even trying. This year she and her family spent a couple weeks in Italy and France and not only did she send me a postcard from Italy, I receive this days after her return. I'm lucky to mail my BILLS when I return!

My 7 year old took this picture and couldn't for the life of him get it to focus. Regardless you can see the popping colors and size of this "flag" scarf.

Il Palio Di Siena is an annual race through the gorgeous streets of Sienna. Jockeys race for neighborhoods in the city bareback on horses. The one she sent me is from Terziere di Città.

ONDA (Wave) a swimming dolphin wearing a crown. White and blue.

Of course I can't look at a scarf without picturing myself wrapped like Jackie O. Or as Janet says, the Grace Kelly look.

I only hope the gift I come up with for her in Germany will be have as perfect!

Happy Summer! Happy 4th of July

2010-07-06T08:14:00.000-05:00

There is no other holiday with such an influx of people wearing Old Navy $5 shirts as the 4th of July. I dropped off my children at camp on Sunday and even my daughter (who is completely clueless to life while spending most of the time in the world that is in her head.) (A world full of sparklies and Pink.) noticed the plethora of flag shirts all over the place. I'm all for America! I'm all for national pride. I'm even all for $5 but I'm not so much about looking like EVERYONE ELSE!

One way not to look like everyone else would be to wear the shirt on vacation. In Europe.

In a word.

DON'T.

There is a tima and place for any piece of clothing and international vacation is just not the place to showcase your bargain t-shirt. It has nothing to do with showing off that you love your country and everything to do with showing off that YOU AREN'T FROM THERE.

I mean granted most of us are going to stick out anyway because Europeans are on average shorter and thinner than most Americans. And frankly when Craig and I (both of German-Czech heritage) travelled to Rome it was given we weren't gonna blend.

(Name the Movie:
Mona Lisa Vito: [Vinny looks at her funny] What?
Vinny Gambini: Nothing. You stick out like a sore thumb around here.
Mona Lisa Vito: Me? What about you?
Vinny Gambini: I fit in better than you. At least I'm wearing cowboy boots.
Mona Lisa Vito: Oh yeah, you blend.)

THE POINT IS while we may not be able to exactly like a native, it is in our best interest to not DRAW attention to ourselves as out of place. People who look out of place are targets.

So for safety sake alone, leave your Flag shirts at home.

London (or Prague, or Berlin) Calling to the far away towns...

2010-06-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

Technology has grown in leaps and bounds. And it has gotten a little more affordable but I still refuse to pay $1.99 a minute for talk time! When I'm in a foreign country I turn off my phone. Except for my iphone which I just leave on the airplane mode. Instead I carry prepaid phone cards which I can use from the hotel room or anywhere while on travel. I have found payphones are more readily available in Europe so I usually just call while on the road. And calling from the hotel room will give you such clear service my mother-in-law told me I sounded better from Rome than I did from my home!

Here's a little Monday Morning Clash for us all

Blog play and hotel stays

2010-06-22T17:15:00.001-05:00

I'm having fun playing with the different backgrounds. I'm currently using a picture of Big Ben and the Thames. I love that I can recognize these icons but I would rather have something more generic. I'll keep playing until I find a layout and pic I really like.

I just booked our hotel for our SF race. It will be me, my mother and my aunt sharing two double beds. This should be interesting. For a variety of reasons. It was one of the only hotels in SF that would allow more than 2 people to a room. WHAT IS THAT???

Before booking any hotel I like to look at TripAdvisor.com. For two main reasons...

1. The site separates out ratings based on purpose of travel. I love this! If I'm there for business, what does a rating based on the helpfulness of the staff for a family of 6 really mean to me?

2. The site allows the hotel to respond. Any Tom, Dick and Asshole can leave a bad review. How do we know if it means anything??? Reviews should be taken with a grain of salt (GOOD AND BAD) but I've seen several hotels respond and attempt to make right bad reviews and that goes a looooong way with me.

Group work I can get behind

2010-06-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

I hate group work. OMG it's the bane of my master's program. I work at home alone. I'm an only child. I prefer quiet reading time ALONE so having to depend on others for a grade is like licking emery boards. It leaves a bloody rough taste in my mouth (and I'm not speaking from experience mind you). I was told of Groupon.com when I got my hair and facial done a week or so ago and it took my some time to sign up for our local site. I thought about my travel for a second but didn't actually think through all the places I'll be visiting this year to store up on coupons until this morning.

$40 green fees + cart at a Vegas Golf Course???

$25 sky diving lessons in San Francisco???

19 euro sunglasses in Berlin???

WHY WOULDN'T YOU SIGN UP???

It works like this...AWESOME savings everyday is different cities around the world. The coupons have short expiration days (so look at the site 30-45 days prior to your trip) and the most important caveat is that a minimum number of people have to also purchase the coupon (hence the GROUPon name)...so even if you sign up for a spectacular deal you might not get it!

Completely stolen from a friend's facebook post:

2010-06-18T08:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Tide to go Pen,

Thank you for fitting in my carry on quart bag. You're the best thing for my clutzy self in travel.

Sincerely,
happytraveler

Signs you are ready for travel (or at least GETTING ready for travel)

2010-06-16T13:19:00.001-05:00

** The Euro/Dollar Conversion rate is a top pick on your computers history.

** You spend more time worried about the politics of Greece (a country you aren't even travelling to) than politics of your home country

** You put together your reading stack for travel (ok maybe that's just me!)

** You hesitate to buy any clothes that won't look good after hours and hours of sitting (on a plane, train or bus) or hours and hours of walking

** Bed bugs websites suddenly seem much more important (Craig's aunts just got back from Nassau Sandals where they spent the night with bed bugs. Which I figured was poetic justice because they didn't invite my mother-in-law. HAH! Karma's a bitch!)

** You start tearing apart your travel books to make your cheat journal (Craig told me this last weekend that he thought our Rome one was so fantastic. Made me grin for the day! It's work planning to be spontaneous!!)

** You start spending more time on foreign websites pretending you understand the words and hoping you aren't getting all the dates wrong. (WHY does America have to be the only place it is month/day/year and not day/month/year which would be SO MUCH MORE intuitive, no?)

** You watch America's Next Top Model and snicker at the girls (really girls I don't care how old they are they aren't women. In fact they are so skinny they probably aren't even menstruating yet) try to find their way in an Amsterdam metro. These girls can't read a map to save their lives. Note to self: Teach eldest to read map.

I could probably come up with more. I have less than 2 months until our Eurpoe trip and I'm starting to notice how it niggles into my thoughts daily. Soon it will occur hourly until all I can talk about is my trip. This is about the time my friends all mysteriously become busy.

People really do listen to me....if only my children would

2010-06-10T19:27:00.000-05:00

My friend Janet (the best hostess Evah!) told me she and her family booked two Context Travel tours when they travel to Italy this summer. Her husband didn't buy the fact that she needed me for wardrobe changes so alas I did not bum a ride there. Ah well. I love to hear when people use my recommendation and hope she has as much fun on her tours as we did on ours!

Webcams - a peek at real life

2010-06-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

At first this kind of freaked me out. Especially when I think of all the people who could be watching me in my home town. But because i REALLY want to see what people are wearing in other countries before I visit I think I might just have to suck up my freakedoutedness and watch the people.

But then I realized that most of these places are tourist traps and I'm more likely to see American tourists than real Czech or German natives. So my search is on to look for local spot web cams. They MUST be out there.

Like this Kaiser Supermarket.

Of course next time I search for webcams I need to do it early in the morning. There isn't much to see anywhere at 3 am

Travel paraphenalia....my "shoe" addiction

2010-05-25T10:06:00.001-05:00

This weekend Cindy's husband made a comment about her purse collection which made me think about how other women tend to enjoy and stock up on shoes and purses and I....do not. Part of the reason is because it is really hard to find cute shoes in Bozo size 11 and as I am super hard on my leather goods I tend to buy expensive products that last me years. And years. I buy a purse maybe every 2 or so years. But they aren't cheap. Which is not to say that I don't have my buying addictions. Pioneer Woman has posted about a favorite shop of hers called Francesca's. Sunday I needed to take my oldest to buy more jeans and I wandered into the Francesca's nearby and found TRAVEL GOODS.

THIS IS WHAT CALLS ME. I enter a shop and somehow I inevitably end up perusing the travel stuff from contact cases (ingenious!) to travel diaries to travel games. Me wanteth them all!

When Craig and I went to Rome we wasted some time on the plane asking each other questions in books called Do You Know Your Husband (Wife)? These were actually pretty fun and we learned a bit abut each other even after (then) fifteen years of marriage.

So these travel cards will be a fun way to waste time with eldest on the plane and trains and buses we have to take and be able to get to know each other better as well.

The Journal looking thing has a note pad and heavy cardboard compartments to store tickets etc. When eldest saw it he informed me he wanted a journal of sorts to keep on the trip. An exchange student at his HS has one and he thought it was a great idea. i'm so glad I don't have to force him to do this. I enjoy going back through my scrap books to read over the things I wrote while on my trips.

Especially write down funny quotes. I'll never forget (but am still glad I wrote it down) Carrie leaving the restroom in our Paris hotel saying "I don't know what that was, but it wasn't a toilet."

Bring me two Pina Coladas.....one for each hand

2010-05-20T07:48:00.000-05:00

Berlin apparently now has it all. This summer they are bringing in a BEACH. To Berlin. In 2010 Berlin is the host city off the International Sand Sculpture festivaland it will still be there the week we travel there. So I totally plan to shove off my shoes and run my toes thru the sand of Berlin.

I received an email from the hotel where we are staying Grand Hotel Esplanade in Berlin. Be sure to get on the email lists of the hotels you travel to so they can keep you updated to events that will happen during your stay. The hotel in Prague has yet to send me an email and because of this while I understand it's all marketing stuff I enjoy being in the know and it definitely makes me more interested to visit this hotel.

Plus it looks gorgeous and we have a River View room...less than 90 days until this trip! EEK.

Next time.... please bring clothes

2010-05-18T15:29:00.000-05:00

Overall, I'm GREAT at figuring out how to get 40 pounds of stuff in to 20 pounds of space. I can cram stuff into minute places and when it comes to packing a trunk Craig simply leaves the stuff at the edge of the car and lets me do my magic. It's my thing.

Figuring out WHAT to pack and HOW MUCH...not so much. I did learn after my ill fated lost luggage fiasco in Rome to divide the clothes and not have a Craig bag and an Andrea bag. (Hello people yes I am wearing the same thing AGAIN. And Yes the Deoderant was packed in the lost luggage hence why we smell like Roman citizen sans deoderant that actually covers body odor... see also: reason italians stink)

Then was the fun trip to the Bahamas with Craig this year where I ended up wearing a bathing suit because I ran out of underwear and then ended up wearing sleep clothes home because I ran out of day clothes too. It was pretty bad. Craig wore the outfit home that we he arrived in. Not happily mind you. Who knew you needed so many freaking clothes when you aren't actually LEAVING A BOAT. I mean COME ON PEOPLE. It was 3 days! I packed less on a three week trip thru Europe.

I was thrilled therefore when my friend Cindy sent me the link to One Bag (tagline: And remember that there are two kinds of luggage: carry-on and lost(aka “mishandled”).)

I will disagree however with one point. I love Jeans. I love that you can wear them 3 days in a row and they still look spiffy when travelling. I love that you don't stand out like a tourist in them and I love that they aren't terribly cold in the winter or hot in the summer. So while One Bag says avoid Jeans, frankly that is all I would take. Trousers = Ironing and umm...yeah not happening.

Side story about ironing: once I tried to ask a hotel clerk for an Iron in Italy (Venice) and he kept giving me these long detailed answers. I finally realized he was telling me how to get to Ferro Via (the train station) because I didn't know the word for Iron and kept using the Latin term Ferro (Iron) because I am at heart a geek.