You were forgiven for asking if you were fair-skinned, blond-haired, and blue-eyed but it was an altogether different story if you were somewhat indistinguishable from the native population. So is the government doing anything about the smog? The reticence of the tour guide was answer enough. FUN FACT. Gone are the images of the 1980s…
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Oh boy! Do I have a deal for you…
The 10-day tour of China in September of 2012 had a lot going for it. The travel agency that posted the deal on Groupon was based out of Vancouver Canada and focused exclusively on travel to Asia; they would know their stuff! The price sounded almost too good to be true; the cost alone would…
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Ni Hao are you…
2012 was a somewhat difficult year for us. In early 2012, a month into the new year and just a few days after we had paid off Bob’s Toyota Tacoma, we were rear-ended in a car accident on the way to the gym (as if I needed another disincentive to work out!). Bob’s baby, his…
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Travel Tips (2010)
Avoid connecting at Heathrow Airport. To get a fuller experience of a place, try staying with a local or staying in an area where mostly locals live. Try the country’s most popular/iconic dishes but also try lesser known ones. Learn a few words in the local language. Embrace or, at the very least, be cognizant…
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F Your Diet (Austria)!
The first in a regular series about food we had eaten in the places we visited (excludes any that were already included in previous posts). A thing to note about Austrian cooking. There are two cuisines: the refined and sophisticated Viennese style and the hearty unfussy stick-to-your-ribs kind.
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Say What (German)?
The first in a regular series about foreign words I tried to memorize before visiting the country. Hallo – “Hello” Guten Morgen – “Good Morning” Guten Tag – “Good Afternoon/Good Day” Gute Nacht – “Good Night” Bitte – “Please” Danke Schoen – “Thank you” Wie geht ist ihnen – “How are you?” Ja – “Yes”…
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Gesundheit (“To your health”)…
The waning days of the trip were spent visiting Heidi’s relatives, exploring Wiener Neustadt and its environs, and pondering the Austrian concept of good health and well-being. Heidi’s cousin Karl lived in the spa-town of Baden bei Wien, midway between Vienna and Wiener Neustadt. Spa is the key word here when it comes to health….
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Venice’s been menaced…
It would be wrong of me to judge Venice based solely on a couple of hours. It would also be unfair to dismiss my reverence for this legendary city so easily. The City of Canals is meant to be savored; it deserves to be savored. I once heard someone say that it was the moments…
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Mediterranean Searendipity…
It was during our stay in Croatia (“Hrvatska” in Croat) that I came to understand why this area of the world (the Mediterranean) attracted so many people. Why every major cruise line in the US had at least one itinerary that included ports of call along this body of water (think Mykonos, Nice, the Italian…
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Slooowvenia…
Slovenia was anything but slow. Peter zipped his Kia SUV from Wiener Neustadt to our home base in Croatia, Porec (pronounced “poor wretch”), in a matter of hours. All we managed to do was to scarf down the largest hot dog we had ever seen, a krofi (stuffed Slovenia donut), and some super strong coffee,…
