One trip to Europe and a tour of China do not a traveler make. I can’t recall whether or not we were apprehensive about our second (or what I like to call our first official) trip to Europe. The training wheels would be off this time. No hosts. No interpreters. No chauffeurs. When I think…
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Trust your instincts…
And finally, the epilogue. I so badly wanted to title this post “Getaway from the getaway…” But a full weekend and several days have passed and the vitriol has mostly died down. Maybe now I can be a bit more clearheaded and objective. No promises though. San Juan Island is not for everyone. The same…
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Underwhaleming…
The Dialogue. Maybe after nearly a year and half of not going anywhere, we were getting a little rusty at travel; we forgot our day bag at home. Thankfully, we were only a mile away when we came to this embarrassing realization. First stop was breakfast at the Strawberry Patch Cafe in Everett. The place…
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Domestic it is then…
Just charge it…
This may run counter to what we have been taught (or indoctrinated) about credit cards; that they should be used for only emergencies or when there are no other options available. We charge every conceivable thing on our Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card. Not to sound like those annoying television commercials but for each dollar…
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“Open jaw”…
I don’t think I lose all credibility (OK, maybe just a notch) for not knowing that arranging a flight into one airport and flying out of a completely different one is called an an “open-jawed” flight. I literally thought the term referred to some sort of dental procedure. But that is exactly what we did….
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Planes, trains, and the automobile…
There is a stark contrast between how people get from point A to point B in America and Europe; a reflection, I believe, of each country’s age. At roughly two and half centuries old, the US is a relative newcomer. Naturally, the nation leans toward the modern–the automobile. Why use a train or bus when…
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Homes away from home…
We realized early on during our first excursion to Europe that for any and all future visits we would want to stay as close to locals as possible. We had hoped to enjoy that same intimate yet eye-opening experience we had staying with Peter and Traude in Austria. Hotels would be used only as an…
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The Law of Attractions…
To belabor the ongoing physiological metaphor, attractions are a trip’s nervous system. It is the nerves that allow the traveler to feel the cool, smooth solidness of a Baroque-era statute or give the daredevil the adrenaline to run with the bulls through the narrow streetways of Spain. But it is also the same system that…
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Head in the Cloud…
Sometimes, it is daunting to keep everything straight in your head. DAY 1. The plane lands at 9:25AM in Rome on August 3. Pick up the Roma Passes at Terminal 3 between 8:00AM and 7:30PM. The Order Number is 136813 and the Confirmation Code is 3LVR9J5P. Remember to pull out €300 at an airport ATM….
