Trump Bashing

As we enjoyed a lovely Saturday at the Echo Park lake in Los Angeles, we noticed some commotion going on behind us.  Hoots and hollers flowed through the air as a group of young revelers took turns whacking a pinata with a hefty stick.  The pinata was fashioned in the caricature likeness of Donald Trump and wow...was he ever getting bashed.

It was a gleeful expression of political sentiment to be sure, but at the same time troubling.  What would the same people so exuberantly bashing Trump have done if they had come across the an identical scene with an Obama pinata?  I have a feeling it wouldn't have been tolerated and racist accusations issued.

I'm befuddled by the Trump phenomena...to be sure much of what he says are mindless rants.  However, there is something to the spirit of his candidacy.  You do feel some kind of joy from him and his high hopes for our country.  But also you have the other side of his brazen emotional displays, and they are much darker...perhaps appealing to people's' basest fears and ignorance.

At the end of the day, I've come to believe it won't make much difference which of the remaining candidates running win the presidency.  All presidents are flawed.  They all have their moments of greatness and moments of shame. As long as we the people have the right to express our approval or anger at their actions, I think we'll somehow manage just fine...as we always have for over 200 years.
#trump #2016election

Birds of a Feather

Flock together.

I must have spent an hour watching this flock of pigeons fly back and forth between balconies on a narrow street in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter.  I tried to catch them in flight...but they were too fast for me.  The beauty of their flight will have to remain only as an image in my mind, like so many things.

New sky.

My first successful use of masking in photoshop.  I replaced a bright white building with this lovely twilight sky.  I'm creating my own memories.  What a power trip.

#pigeons, #Barcelona, #Gothic Quarter

Tea Time

A proper cup of tea can be so soothing...and lovely.

This steaming pot was served to me at a sweet Paris bistro that we tucked into to escape to chilly February showers.  There's always something special about the way things are served at Paris cafes...the simplest, most humble thing is somehow beautiful.

http://www.comptoirsrichard.fr/
#cafes, #paris, #tea, #paris cafes, #comptoirsrichard 

First

Which came first?  The chicken or the egg?

Wall graffiti outside Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris, France.

Ponder the proverbial question on a very full stomach.  You have to love a chef with a bit of whimsy and a dash of philosophy!

Missing Paris

A room with a view.

Wishing I was looking out this window right now.  Paris is magic.  Paris is beauty.  Paris is mystery.

This was the view from my 7th floor suite at the Paris Marriott Ambassador Hotel.  Quite a fabulous place to stay, where they made me feel special.  I took this picture my first night there, filled with all the anticipation the next three days would bring.  Yes, that's the eiffel tower with the searchlight glowing off in the distance.  It's spectacular when it's lit.

If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium

One of the comedy movies from my youth, "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium", evoked a romanticism for European travel in me.  The idea of covering lots of ground in a short time and somehow encapsulating the European experience sounded like a fun adventure.

Though no longer a youthful dreamer, but a middle-aged bougis, I got to take my European tour.  But not on your typical high-end tour with planned itineraries and big buses...I planned and executed said trip on my own making copious use of Marriott points and frequent flyer miles.  Is it everything I thought it would be...no, but in some ways more.  This trip taught me something about myself and how I want to go about exploring the world.  While I've never been a fan of sightseeing and organized tours, I've also always felt compelled to  not miss the "sights" deemed by the world as the reason you sit on a cramped airplane for countless hours to visit.

Whilst wandering cobbled streets and enjoying a fresh draught at a sidewalk cafe, I realized what my true travel goals and interests are.  I'm making a list, so I won't forget and become distracted by the siren's call of significant sight-seeing attractions.

1.  Life - Even if it's just a brief peak, I want to get some picture of what life really is in a place.  I want to see where people like me really live, not the Queen.  I want to eat where they eat.  Shop at the market they buy their groceries from.  Browse the racks at a boutique off the tourist track.  I want to hang-out at local bars and cafes...talk to whoever is sitting next to me.

2. Environment - I want to see how the cities have developed.  Admire the architecture and quirks of how people decorate their balconies and gardens.  I want to see the land past the urban boundaries.  See the farms, the small country villages, the forests and the hidden treasures you can only find along a narrow country road.

3. Nurture - To really feel the place you are in, I believe you must try as much of the local cuisine and way of life the natives.  This means risking street food, eating at hole-in-the-wall restaurants, at least tasting the locale's dishes and favorite drinks.  It also means getting a feel for how people stay fit (in my case, seeing...not doing).

4.  Schedule - This trip I had spent countless hours reading and researching where to go and what to eat.  I tried to have a basic plan for what we would do each day.  While I don't regret any of the research, because it did help me focus on what I was really interested in, provided a handy list of potential places to dine and educated me on the history...at the end of the day, the best plan is no plan.  You can't plan for how well you will feel, or what interesting festival you may happen upon.  You need to free yourself from the necessity to see everything there is to see, to see what you really care to see.

So with these insights into my persona, here are the highlights from our 10-day European excursion:

Copenhagen -
After a long day of flying, we arrived in Copenhagen.  I quickly found the desk where I could purchase the Copenhagen Card (a very good value since it included all forms of transportation and admission to anyplace you would want to go).  I thought I understood the directions via the airport train, and since the connection was right there, we decided to try it.  Unfortunately, the train we boarded didn't go to the stop we needed.  So we aimed as close to our hotel as we could and caught a taxi for the rest of the way.

The Marriott Copenhagen was a lovely property, located directly on one of the city canals.  We were upgraded to an executive level room with a view of the canal.  Very updated and comfortable.  The Concierge Lounge (CL) was open 7 days a week and offered breakfast, snacks and wine/beer in the evenings.  The food in the restaurant and bar was very good, especially the after-dinner s'more treats.

Saturday (the day we arrived), we decided to try to find a festival and flea market that was going on in one of the neighborhoods, Norrebro.  The city bus to get there was easy and we enjoyed seeing all the kids with "I love JB" painted on their faces (Justin Bieber was having a concert there that night).  Norrebro, and the flea market we found, was not that great.  It's primarily an Arab neighborhood with lots of kebab places and junky shops.  We decided to give-up on finding the festival there and just head toward the center of town we had passed on our way.  We spent the afternoon just walking around and enjoying beer at a sidewalk cafe.  It was cold, but the cafe gave you blankets so you could sit outside.  We found that to be the common thing at most places with outdoor seating.  That night, I had made reservations for dinner at Det lille Apotek, the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen that has been open since 1753.  It was a bit cheesy, but it had retained its character for the most part and felt a bit like traveling back in time.  We shared a salmon appetizer and a three kinds of herring platter...very good.

The next day, we boarded a train North to a farm I had found that had brunch.  The train ride was really enjoyable and it was great seeing the forests and farmlands.  The trains there are also clean, comfortable and quiet.  When we got off at our stop, it was not clear which path we should take to the farm.  Lucky for us, a local chef was heading that way and accompanied us on a trail through the woods to the farm.  The farm itself, Aarstiderne, was an interesting place.  It was a complex of several barns and a large house.  The brunch is held in one of the barns converted into a dining hall.  You pay a set price, and you sit at long tables.  They bring you bread, then a compartmentalized tray with your brunch.  The food was okay, but not worth the money.  It would have been better to have just gone to the market next door and had coffee with pastries.  The market was quite nice, by the way.  Down the path from the farm and across the roadway is the museum, Louisiana.  This is an exquisite, modern museum integrated into it's location on the North Sea.  They had a wonderful collection of pop art and traditional pieces.  A great way to spend the afternoon.

After Louisiana, we made our way back to the train and headed back South toward Copenhagen, but stayed on all the way across the North Sea to Malmo, Sweden.  A lovely trip!  Malmo was much colder and windier than Copenhagen, but we enjoyed walking around there anyway.  It was Sunday, so no shops and many restaurants were not open.  I had made reservations for a jazz high tea at Bloom in the Park, but we couldn't find it and arrived by the time it had closed.  Instead we had a nice salmon dinner at Gustav Adolf.  We headed back to Copenhagen and made our way to Christiana.  The Free Republic of Christiana is really something to see if you don't mind things a bit crusty and free-wheeling.  The sun was setting as we arrived and we got into the spirit of the fairyland atmosphere, even without the help of the legal drugs available there.  We liked the sounds of what we heard from a jazz club near the entrance to the community and decided to hang-out there for a fun evening of improvisational jazz...loved every minute of it!

Next day, we went on the city bus 11A that takes you around to the major sights in the city.  We disembarked where the boats are for the canal/harbor tours.  The tour was fine, for us it was interesting to see the headquarters of one of the major shipping lines, Maersk.  Afterwards, we found a small cafe near the canals and where the painted row houses are.  A tourist trap, but fine.  Also, went into the Amber Museum a bit...interesting pieces.  The rest of the day, we just enjoyed walking around exploring the city...these people really like to jog and bike! Not us!!!

Tuesday, we flew to Brussels.  Short flights, but the distance you have to walk at the airports is crazy.  If you are flying to any of these airports, allow plenty of time to get to gates.  I checked into the Marriott Grand Place in Brussels, while my husband went to the Seafood Expo taking place there.  That day I ventured out only to Grand Place and enjoyed the local cuisine.  The following day, while the husband was in meetings, I decided to visit the Queen's Greenhouses, which are only open a few weeks every Spring.  After getting quite lost (blame terrible directions from the hotel concierge), I finally got on a "Hop On/Off" tour bus and made my way there.  It was worth the effort to find, really something unique and different you wouldn't find just anywhere.  Had a bucket of mussels for both lunch and dinner...loved it!

Thursday, we took a late morning train to Brugge.  The second class section was quite crowded and my husband had to stand for the first part of the journey.  We took a cab from the train station and checked into Hotel Navarra.  The hotel has been in business since the 1700's, but the room was updated and comfortable.
We enjoyed exploring the city and took the boat tour.  Had tapas that night at a small place off the beaten path...it was quite good.  We did most of our gift shopping here at a factory store that had some very nice handbags and lace items.

Friday, after a mediocre breakfast at the hotel, we took a cab to Hertz and rented a car for the drive to Amsterdam.  Yes, I know every travel advisor and website said to take the trains...I just wasn't into it and it was only a few dollars more to do the one way car rental than the high speed train.  It was just as well we were in the car that day, since it was very cold and rainy.  The Hertz rep advised us to take the backroads to avoid a major road closing and traffic delays, which I was very happy to do, since I wanted to see the countryside anyway.  The roads were very easy to drive on and in great condition.  The Belgian and Dutch countryside were absolutely beautiful...and we were even too early for tulips!  We made our way first to The Hague, stopping at some lovely small villages on the way.  The best was Brouwershaven, which was a medieval village with a quaint windmill.  Had the best apple cake ever here!  We also had the experience of seeing something else interesting.  As we had wound our way through the the narrow streets with thought it was strange everything was closed.  After we finally found one place open for cake and coffee, we noticed a hearse led by a man in a black top hat followed by a large procession of townsfolk in black marching behind him. It was quite something to see against the ancient village backdrop.

The rest of the drive was lovely along the deserted coastline and busy ports.  We ran into traffic around Rotterdam, but it wasn't too terrible.  We made it to The Hague late afternoon.  Too late for tours, but we drove around and took photos at the world court.  We had a simple dinner at a nearby Egyptian restaurant, before heading on to Amsterdam.  We arrived at our hotel around 9:00 pm after driving around the city a bit.  Luckily, Hertz had just established a relationship with the hotel and we were able to just turn in our car and avoid being charged for parking.

We stayed at the Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel and it was very nice.  We were upgraded to a club level room and the CL was nice.  Breakfast on weekends was included in the main restaurant and was quite good.  While in Amsterdam, we mostly just explored the city.  We did, however, have the privilege to have had a private tour arranged for us by a friend of the Anne Frank House.  I can't describe what an emotionally moving experience our visit there was.  The museum has done an excellent job not only preserving the feeling of their life there and Anne's spirit, but also took the history that was there and brought it into our times...making it relatable to the present.  We were very impressed.

We had an excellent dinner at a small Brasserie  Van Speyk.  We felt it was an excellent value for the nice dinner we had there...salmon for me, lamb for the husband.  Unfortunately, for most of the trip I had been fighting a sinus infection and at this point, it became much worse.

The next day we walked from our hotel to the Central Train Station and took the high speed rail to Dusseldorf, Germany.  It was a nice ride with lovely countryside to see along the way.  Unfortunately, I was too sick to leave the hotel, Renaissance Dusseldorf.  But my husband had a nice walk around the city, while I had a good dinner and rest at the hotel.  This hotel property is like something from the early 80's...really hasn't been updated...even old style TVs and beds.  But the staff, service and food at the hotel was great.

Our journey ended the next day when we had a direct flight back to South Florida on Air Berlin.  Again, a ridiculous amount of walking to get to our gate.  Also, no leg room at all on Air Berlin economy class international flights.

On the whole, it was a great trip.  I got my yearning for some European travel satisfied and enjoyed my experiences there.

Copenhagen from the canal.

The path to Aarstiderne.

Copenhagen.

Brunch at Aarstiderne.

Brussels

Mussels in Brussels

Netherlands

Netherlands

Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Planning is half the fun!

I posted this in another blog I write for a website, Marriott Rewards Insiders mgoes2's blog:

Planning a trip is a chore most of my friends seem to dread.  They just want to get there already and usually book a vacation through one of generic travel websites that advertise with cute gnomes or former star ship captains.  I did this once, too, with quite unfavorable results.  Not only did I not save money in the end, but I got stuck with an inferior hotel which could not be cancelled and problems with the airline which no one was responsible for solving.  Worse yet, I accrued no points with any loyalty programs which could have been substantial for a two-week trip to England from Miami.  You live and learn, hopefully!

It was after this fiasco that I started taking planning travel seriously.  With this sort of seriousness I employ, I have found the research to be almost as much fun as the trip itself.  Here's the method to my madness:

1.  After determining when and where for the trip (and if there is any flexibility in the dates), I begin the search for airfares.  There are several sites I like for the "big picture" of what's out there.  They are ITA Software and Yapta.  Unfortunately, Southwest and AirTran won't show on these searches, so you have to look at their sites separately.  Once I get the picture of flight schedules and prices, I focus on trying to get the best deal I can on one of the two main airlines I seriously have frequent flyer memberships with.  More often than not, the difference in price between my loyalty program airlines and least expensive airline is minimal.  In that case, it's worth spending the extra $20 for the flight to get the miles.

2.  Booking the hotel is generally quite easy if there's a Marriott nearby.  I search my destination hotels here in the Insider site, then compare prices and Elite offers on the hotel search for which property best suits my needs.  One interesting tidbit for Elites is that often, the higher end properties will end-up being a better deal with special rates offered and the freebies that come with being a Gold or Platinum such as free breakfast, internet, etc.  It there's no Marriott nearby, I also have loyalty programs with several other chains as a back-up.

3.  Researching the destination is always the most fun!  I'm a foodie, so first thing I do is check Chowhound and Urban Spoon to see what's unique to eat or which restaurants are loved by the locals.  Also, I enjoy following food trends and interesting chefs, so I keep track of whether my destination may have a noteworthy restaurant to seek out.  I usually plan at least one nice dining experience on a trip and the rest, I look for reasonably priced local favorites.  Rarely am I disappointed.

Once I know where I'm eating, the rest seems to fall into place.  I'm not one for tourist attractions, but I love shopping, museums and exploring neighborhoods.  Try specific google searches based on your interests, using " " and : to define your searches.  For example:  Montreal:  "Lighthouses you can visit".  This helps you zero in better on what you want, rather than getting pages of random ads show on your search results.

4.  Keeping track of it all is just as important.  I use a colored plastic legal size envelope with a wrap string closure to stash all my specific trip info in.  I use colors, since I'm often planning more than one trip at a time.  The plastic keeps them safe from water while traveling and the closure ensures everything stays put.  I always print airline info, hotel and car reservations, as well as info sheets I create specific to the trip.  The info sheets  are the cut and pasted results from the destination searches which have been condensed to the smallest typeset I can read.  I clip all these together in order of the trips schedule and put it into my envelope along with maps, brochures, etc.  During the trip, I add receipts from places I ate and shopped, etc. to the envelope.  That way, if I want to do review of the trip or make recommendations to friends it's easy to see the name of that little taqueria I found on the way to the museum that was so great.

While my methods may or may not work for you personally, the point is a little bit of planning goes a long way to making your trip enjoyable and avoiding wasting time wondering "what do we do today" or just going to the same mundane tourist traps with lines that everyone else is going to.