Photo of the Week: Egypt

From:  Khan el Kalili Market, Cairo

Just a reminder about my giveaway that is ending on October 30 for a copy of My Memories Suite 2, digital scrapbooking software.  You can find out more about this here.

Digital Scrapbooking with My Memories

I recently accepted an offer to review a digital scrapbooking program from My Memories.   As part of this offer I received a free copy of the My Memories Suite 2 to review.  But, I also get a copy for one of my readers and discounts for everyone else.  How could I say no?  If you're interested in the giveaway, I'll have information on how to enter below my review.  The program is available for both Mac and PC.  My $10 discount code is: STMMMS64297.

For me, the exciting thing about this offer was that I have several scrapbooks, but recently gave up on them because it became such a hassel to do.  Getting the supplies can be a struggle, especially if you've traveled to a more exotic destination (anything outside the US that isn't London, Paris or Rome).  It takes up a lot of room and then when you're halfway done you realize that you have too much of one thing and not enough of another thing and you're back to the store.  So I decided to go the way of the digital photobook.  But now, I have the option of a digital scrapbook that I can print out or share electronically - the best of both words.

Like anytime you start to use a new program I did feel a bit overwhelmed at first.  I kept hitting the same button and expecting it to do something different, that didn't work.  But after playing around a little bit I started to get the hang of it.

You can use the program to make full scrapbooks or single pages.  The program allows for a several different sizes of paper and has a wide variety of backgrounds for free.  You can also purchase nicer backgrounds through the website.  There is also a variety of shapes and sayings that you can add to each page to customize.

This is a screenshot of a page I put together in just a few minutes while playing around.

My favorite thing about this software is flexibility, there is so much flexibility in how you design any given page.  This page above originally only had 3 photos in a totally different layout, in seconds I was able to change the layout so that I matched the photos and then I was able to add another photo that I saw after I initially set up the page.  You can't do that in a photobook.  Of course you could drive yourself crazy making the page perfect, but that's a good problem to have.

Sharing your albums and pages - you can send your pages digitally to friends and family or you can upload to a variety of websites for printing.  You can also print out pages on your home printer.

I haven't had a chance to use all of the power of My Memories, but from what I have used this program seems like a fun and easy way to make a digital scrapbook.  You can get a $10 discount on the My Memories Suite 2 using this code:  STMMMS64297

Entry for a free copy of My Memories Suite:

To enter:  
Either comment on this blog post, send me an email to thetravelinggiraffe (at) gmail (dot) com, or Tweet to me @Travelingiraffe about what you want to make a digital scrapbook of, and it doesn't just have to be your last trip/vacation/holiday!

Entries must be received by Noon on October 30.

After Noon on October 30th I will use Random.com to pick a winner.  I will contact the winner via email or Twitter to make arrangements for them to get their code for the software.

Good Luck!


If you would like more information on My Memories:
Blog- http://blog.mymemories.com/
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/mymemoriessuite
Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/mymemoriessuite
YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/user/MyMemoriesSuite

Interesting things in Barcelona

While in Barcelona I got to experience 2 unique things - Protests and a Football Match.

Before I arrived in Barcelona protests had started up. It seems there is a high unemployment rate in Spain with the rate for young people reaching 45%. I guess when 45% of your age group is out of work it's a bit easier to protest! I never experienced an actual protest there, but it was hard to miss the tent city in Playa Catalona and the groups of youth there - it was a very busy place.

The other thing going on in Barcelona was a little football match between FC Barcelona and Manchester United in the Champions League. I'm not much into football/soccer, but WOW they were into it in Barcelona. Before I went on the trip I had heard about this game and it was described as the Super Bowl of soccer. I never saw Las Ramblas so quiet, aside from the cheering that would happen when Barcelona would score the city was a ghost town with everyone inside watching the game. The unfortuante thing about traveling alone in a strange city is that it wasn't a good idea to go out and enjoy the revelry when they won, but I could hear it and the city certainly did enjoy itself! I actually watched the game with a group of people from my cruise, but went back to my hotel before the end of the game. Based on the police presence, it was a good idea. And I hear they were out until late at night celebrating.

These are the little things you can't plan for on a trip. Ok, you can plan the football thing, but protests often happen unannounced.  It's all part of the adventure.

Photo of the Week: Italy

From:  Rome, Italy - The Colosseum

Changing my format

I've been considering a change to my publishing schedule ever since I went to 2 posts a week.

I occasionally do product and book reviews, but I don't want that to become what my blog is about.  But when inspiration strikes I like to write about it, whatever it might be.

So here is my plan:

Monday - Photo of the Week

Wednesday - Travel stories/tips/advice

Friday - Product reviews of website/blog/podcast recommendations.

Let me know what you think.  Or if you have recommendations on products, blogs, podcasts, websites or anything else travel related.

You can find me on twitter @Travelingiraffe
or you can email me at thetravelinggiraffe (at) gmail.com

Liverpool, home of The Beatles

On my last Contiki tour we had a half day stop in Liverpool, that was either plenty of time, or not nearly enough time.  In that half day, the city did not call to me, though it was fun to see some of The Beatles sites.

Liverpool is more of an industrial city, which like many other industrial cities, struggled as the industrial revolution ended.  The city has gotten a bit of a face lift recently, it was a cultural capital a few years ago.  It does have some nice spots, but other areas were kinda blah. 

I'm not a big Beatles fan, though I do enjoy their music - but the Beatles connection was the highlight of the city.  Driving down Penny Lane and seeing the Magical Mystery Tour (didn't take it), Sgt. Peppers, Cavern Club, their homes, schools, etc.  It brought the Beatles songs to life.  After looking at my pictures  a friend commented that the places from the Beatles songs really existed!

White Star Line

There is a new shopping area in Liverpool (near the Cavern Club), it looked very nice.  I wish we had more time to explore it.  Unfortunately some politician, Nick LeClegg, was in the city which disrupted our parking and ultimately our time table, leaving us with just enough time for a quick lunch on the go and to see the Cavern Club.

With just a few hours in the city it struck me as a good city for a day or two, maybe a long weekend.  There are lots of Beatles sites, the White Star Line (see where people checked to see if their family survived the Titanic), and shopping.  But compared to other cities in England, Liverpool doesn't have as much charm. 



Reminder: I can be found on Twitter @Travelingiraffe

Photo of the Week: England

From:  Stonehenge, England

My first time on Delta Internationally

For my cruise in May I flew, for the first time, Delta (or any US carrier) to Europe.  I generally avoid US carriers when I fly internationally, they're simply not as good.  While Delta was fine, my thoughts did hold true.  The reason I chose Delta was because it was one of the lowest prices, and my other choices in that price range weren't much better (Iberia) but more importantly it was a non-stop flight.  While I often don't mind a stopover, I don't want to pay an extra $400 and have to deal with the stress of a stopover.  So Delta it was. 

My flight out was at 6pm, but took off 2 hours late.  The flight staff did keep us up to date, we were waiting for passengers transfering to this flight, then they had to do something else.  It wasn't a big deal, I just read my book and since we took off later I probably slept more.  The food was standard hit or miss airplane food.  The entertainment system was pretty good, I like on demand movies for long flights, which they had.  And the selection wasn't too bad either.  I managed to watch 1 movie I had already seen on the flight out (didn't want to get sucked into a movie and not sleep), and 3 new movies on the flight home. 

I did notice though that everyone on my flight was flying to Barcelona for either a cruise, or they were Spanish and going back home (or to the US).  It was funny to see people talking and realizing they met someone on the flight that they knew who was going on the same cruise as them.  In addition to the Norwegian Epic, the Liberty of the Seas and a Disney ship were sailing out of Barcelona that weekend.

Where I really noticed that Delta wasn't as good as some of the International airlines, the amenity kit, there were none.  You just got a blanket and a pillow.  Every International airline I've been on has had some sort of amenity kit, including a tooth brush, toothpaste, and eye mask at a minimum.  For the overnight flights, this is definately handy, and I could always use another addition to my eye mask collection ;). 

For my flight home I booked an Economy Comfort seat for an extra $80.  Compared to Economy discomfort I'm not totally convinced it was worth the extra money.  I think I had another 2-4 inches of leg room, I'm thinking more like 2 inches, and I was in the front of Economy, but I'm not sure what the other benefits were.  Ok, I did get a better boarding section.  Otherwise, movies are already included, as are drinks.  My best frame of reference for this was when I flew in Virgin America's version of Economy Comfort - I got free drinks, food, movies and got a lot more leg room - but it also cost closer to $150 for the upgrade.  I think if you're tall and every inch makes a difference for your legs, $80 would be worth it.  Otherwise, I'm on the fence about this.

I'm not sure who does the check-in for Delta in Barcelona, but they were terrible.  Maybe what they say about the Spanish work ethic is true, or maybe they're not well training, but unless you were checked in, had a seat and just wanted to drop luggage, you could have died waiting.  I saw the staff and the supervisor flipping through the manual for quite some time.  I suggest to anyone flying Delta out of Barcelona to give themselves plenty of time.

Would I fly Delta Internationally again?  Yes.  Would they be my first choice? No.  I treat every airfare booking seperately and often look for something different, maybe it's schedule, or price, or amenities.  I try to keep an open mind and pick the best fit for the trip.

Incase you're wondering, I slept a good 4 hours on the flight to Barcelona, which is a success in my book.

Reminder: I can be found on Twitter @Travelingiraffe

Photo of the Week: Spain

From Barcelona:  Inside Sagrada Familia

Fort William Henry Hotel & Conference Center

In August I finally used my winnings from the New York Travel Show - a 2 night stay at the Fort William Henry Hotel, Grand Hotel.  Overall the stay was fine, but there were definitely some bumps in the road.

I made my reservation about 2 weeks ahead of time and confirmed my reservation the day before heading up to Lake George.  The room was supposed to be a lake view room with 2 beds.  However, when I arrived I was put into a room with 1 bed.  The most annoying part of this was that I found out when I walked into the room, the desk clerk never told me about the change.  The problem is that I was traveling with a friend who I was not confortable sharing a bed with.  I did call and inquire about this and was told that there were no rooms with 2 beds available in the Grand Hotel, only in the lower end sections.  My friend and I opted to stay in the room and each of us slept on the couch 1 night and the bed the other night. I'm not sure what happened with this, no explanation was given, nor was there any effort made to apologize for the error.  Since I didn't pay for the room I didn't push the issue.

The other bump that happened was that when I went to check out I was asked if I wanted to put the room charge of $650 on my credit card.  That lead to a 5 minute search for my gift certificate.  Not a big deal, but just another example of the lackluster customer service at the hotel.

As for everything else, the hotel was quite nice.  Our room was a little dark for my taste, but was nicely decorated.  The bathroom was large and clean.  The view was picturesque of the lake.  The pool was nice, but I missed that there was no hot tub at the outdoor pool.

The restaurant, the White Lion, was nice. I had breakfast their and the food was good and reasonably priced.  I didn't find the wait staff to be the best, but they weren't bad either.  I mention that because I have seen many complaints about them.

The housekeeping staff also did a good job.  When we called for additional sheets and blankets they came quickly.  The room was clean and well stocked.  They also never interrupted us as sometimes happens when housekeeping wants to clean rooms.

The common areas were ok, nicely decorated and clean.  But I swear the one elevator smelled a little like pee the first day we were there.

The hotel website says they have internet, but the internet was only available in the sitting area on the first floor, I'm not sure if they charged for it.

Overall, the hotel was nice, the Grand Hotel is supposed to be the nicest in Lake George.  It certainly looked like it from the outside.  But I hope their are hotels with better service.  If I returned to Lake George The Fort William Henry would not be my first choice.  I think that's sad.  I thought one of the reasons hotels offered such promotions was to bring in new customers, but their customer service didn't match the quality and price of the hotel.

Photo of the Week: New York City

Yankee Stadium: The Bronx, New York City