The Traveling Giraffe

Travel Tip - Bring copies

2012-02-10T09:12:00.000-05:00

Whenever I travel I like to bring copies of all of my important documents - drivers license, passport, visa's, reservations, and credit card information. I also keep an electronic copy of all these documents and give photo copies and electronic copies to a member of my family.

When I travel domestically I'm less likely to do this, mostly because I'm lazy. But, I always do this when I'm traveling internationally. While I've never had a problem, I like knowing that if I'm away and lose any of this information I can easily access it to make police reports and to obtain new documents. I like having a variety of ways to get this information too. If my suitcase gets lost and the photo copies were in there, then I can just go to my email account and print out new copies.

So my tip this week is to have copies of all your important documents.

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The Ports Of Livorno and Civitavecchia

2012-02-08T06:09:00.000-05:00

Port Side in Livorno

The port of Livorno, Italy is the closest port to Florence, a popular stop for ships in the Western Mediterranean. The port of Civitavecchia is the port that is closest to Rome. I just want to take a moment to set your expectations accordingly for the immediate port areas.

The good view at Livorno

Livorno is a VERY industrial port. You will not be able to walk off the ship at this port and do anything. Actually, I'm not sure that even a few miles from the port there is much to do. I'm sure their is a town nearby, but I distinctly remember driving for a decent bit before seeing anything that remotely resembled the Tuscany in my dreams. I haven't heard of anyone getting off the port for a little while to just enjoy the area. I highly suggest planning a tour either through the cruise line or privatly if you want to get off the ship.

Starboard Side in Livorno

Civitavecchia is a little better. You cannot walk out of the the port area, you must take a free shuttle bus out of the port to Cicitavecchia, but here there is an actual little town. It's nothing fancy, but there are some shops, restaurants and a beachy area. This isn't the type of place you'll spend a day, but it would be perfectly suitable if you just wanted to escape the ship for an hour or two without the cost and energy required to visit Rome or take another excursion of the area.

I was quite shocked when I visited Livorno, I expected the port area to be somewhat industrial, given that it's the place where shipping happens. But, from what I could tell their was nothing there to entice those who stayed onboard for the day to take a quick trip off the ship for anything. Civitavecchia was much closer to my expectations, but probably because of the research I had done prior to the cruise.

Happy Sailing

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Photo of the Week: Italy

2012-02-06T05:55:00.000-05:00

Photo from Pompeii, Italy

Travel Tip - Bring Contact Information

2012-02-03T06:47:00.000-05:00

So on my last trip to Disney World I was meeting my friend Terye at the Port Orleans French Quarter resort (I'll be posting about the resort in a week or two). I was flying in that day and she was driving over from Tampa. When I got to the resort I went to pull up Terye's information for check in and it was NOT in my phone, ACK!

I had recently fixed an error in my phone book and her phone number and address got lost. I had thought to double check, but thought I had checked it already, apparently not.

I did get in contact with Terye through Facebook and email and she called me, so it worked out. But my tip is that if you're supposed to be meeting someone on your trip, double and triple check that you have their information.

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Port Orleans French Quarter

2012-02-01T06:47:00.000-05:00

For my last trip to Disney World my friend and I choose the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort. It's a moderate resort with a lot of charm, I really liked it.

My stay here started with a ride from the airport on Disney's Magical Express, I was fortunate to be the first hotel drop off. When I got off the bus I was given beads, it must be Mardi Gras everyday! I had no wait to check in.

The only other resort I have stayed at in Disney World was All-Star Sports and this was a big improvement. The resort had a much nicer setting, bigger rooms, a nicer pool area. Even though the resort has a similar motel like structure, you never felt like you were at a motel.

The rooms had good lighting (and I like a bright room), were tastefully decorated to the theme of the French Quarter. The rooms had been refirbished in 2010-2011 (or something like that) and I was worried that the new queen size beds might make the rooms feel smaller, but there was plenty of room for my friend and I. I think a 3rd person would easily be accomodated there, and a 4th would be fine depending on the relationship of the travelers. The new queen size beds were comfortable too.

The room had a table and chairs, nightstand, 3 dressers drawers, a refrigerator, flat screen TV, double sink in the bathroom, a typical hotel hairdryer and a small safe. There was no formal closet, but a clothes bar in the bathroom with a shelf.

The bathroom had two seperate areas. The toilet and shower were in a seperate room (the lighting was kinda dim) and the sinks were outside that room with a curtain you could use to section off the sink area from the rest of the hotel room, a great privacy feature. I loved the two sinks, 2 mirrors and all the extra space that comes with that. It was nice to be able to spread out my stuff on the sink.

The resort itself is the smallest of the moderate resorts and I found it was a very easy resort to get around and there really is no bad location. We weren't close to anything, but then again, nothing was far away either. Everything was under a 5 minute walk from our room (in building 2 - 2221).

Port Orleans Riverside is the sister resort of French Quarter and I did get a chance to take a walk there one afternoon, the walk was about 10 minutes along a river and we took the boat back to French Quarter. The river provided a great setting for both resorts and made it more picturesque. Riverside is a much larger resort and much more spread out. While it also had a great theme, I don't think I would have liked how spread out it was. But it does have a larger store, a sit down restaurant, a larger lobby and more activities.

I thought the location of the resort was MUCH better then the All-Star Resorts. It was was much closer to everything (except that Animal Kingdom). Whether we drove or took Disney Transportation, it was never a long drive.

Dining at the resort was only quick service, but they had a pretty good variety of foods. I had heard the beignets were great there. As much as I love fried dough, it was just fried dough with powdered sugar. I found the lunch menu was kinda boring, but the dinner menu had a good variety of foods, not what I would have expected from quick service.

Overall, I thought French Quarter was a great resort, I would recommend it to anyone. For couples it has a more intimate feel then some of the larger resorts. For the price it has a good location (you can't compete with the monorail resorts or the Epcot resorts), a great setting, great ammenities and was a managable size.

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Photo of the Week: Italy

2012-01-31T05:34:00.000-05:00

Sorrento, Italy

Website Recommendation: Visa Stamper

2012-01-27T05:54:00.000-05:00

Visa Stamper is a website where you can recreate your passport(s). It's a fun little site that is still in Beta.

What you do is set up an account and add in all your stamps from you passport, the website then recreats the pages for you to view online. You can even add stamps for locations you went to, but didn't get a stamp for.

The site is still in Beta and could use a little work to make it better, such as differentiating between a land and an air entry or adding visas. But, it does its simple functions well and all the stamps that I have matched the ones that were shown.

http://visastamper.com/

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Livorno Ship Tour: Pisa and A Taste Of Tuscany

2012-01-25T06:10:00.000-05:00

When my cruise on the Norwegian Epic stopped in Livorno I decided to do the tour called: Pisa and A Taste of Tuscany. Although the port of Livorno is primarily known for servicing Florence, Florence is actually an hour to two from the port. Having been to Florence previously I decided to do something different. Pisa and Tuscany!

This is one of those big group tours from the cruise line and when I say big group I mean that there were multiple busses doing the same tour, so we're talking about over 200 people on this tour. But, compared to some other big bus tours I have taken, this one didn't feel quite as heardy or touristy as I've experienced in the past.

We had an early meeting in a dining room, though not nearly as early as some of the other tours that left the ship this day, 8:30 am. Sailing alone I had hoped to meet some people on excursions, it turned out I had already met several people who were on my tour and was on a bus with 3 of them.

The first part of the tour went to Pisa, on the way our tour guide spoke about the region of Tuscany. Once we arrived we parked in a bus parking area we took a 5-10 minute walk to the tower and then got some information about the leaning tower and the other buildings. Then we got some free time, I think we had an hour before our meeting time, plenty of time to take photos and do some shopping or have a drink at one of the local street vendors. I will talk about the Pisa in the next few weeks, but I will say that if you got rid of the hordes of tourists, this would be a nice place to visit.

After Pisa we went to a winery for a tour and lunch. This winery had a stunning setting - it had that old, fancy farm feel and was nestled within the surrounding hills. We got a quick tour, which was just fine with me since I've been on winery tours in the past. If you want an in-depth tour of a winery, this is not it. Though the staff was very friendly and answered any questions asked. We also learned a little bit about making olive oil.

After that we had lunch, lunch was served in tents outside, which we had perfect weather for. There were some smaller tents (see the photos) that were heavenly. However, we were in a much larger tent that fit several busses of guests. This was a nice setting, but not as dreamy as the smaller tents. But the food was fabulous and we were given suggestions on which wines to drink with each course. I personally didn't like any of the wines, they were too dry for me. But, they had the best balsamic vinegar ever! The olive oil was also very good. We were given the opportunity to purchase the olive oil and vinegar as well as a few other items. The lunch was a couple different courses of light foods - pasta, meats, breads.

After that we returned to the ship with a little time to enjoy the ship before all the full day tours returned to the ship. This tour only took about 5 and a half to 6 hours. I thought it was a very nice tour for anyone who wants to have an experience other then Florence. While I do try to avoid some of the big group tours, they tend to have a much less authentic feel, this was one of the better big group tours I have taken with a cruise line. It also allowed me to save my energy for the next day in Rome!

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Photo of the Week: France

2012-01-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

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Travel Tip - STEP - Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

2012-01-20T06:55:00.000-05:00

In light of the recent sinking of the Costa Concordia my travel tip for Americans is to register for STEP -https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

STEP is a US State Department program where you can register your trip information in case of an emergency. While we all assume nothing will happen while we are away, the reality is that things do happen (London tube bombings, Madrid train bombings) and when we're overseas it's much more complicated. You may need a new passport, clothing, basic necessities, money or transportation. The US Government, your hotel/travel company and your family will know you're overseas. The easier it is to get in touch with you the easier it is to take care of all of those issues.

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I Love Pisa, and I'm proud of it!

2012-01-18T05:51:00.000-05:00

Pisa has a bad reputation as just being a tourist trap - it's just a tower that happens to lean.

I'm not going to say that's not true, but I did find a certain charm in Pisa.

It's quant little town with fortress walls around it. It gives a nice feeling of what an old Italian town might have looked like, if you can tune out the throngs of tourists.

As for the tower, it's actually quite pretty with a very clean look to it. One thing I don't like in Italy is that the colors of the buildings (oranges and yellows) make them look dirty, but the tower was white and looked very clean. It was such a contrast to what you normally see that it stood out the second I turned the corner and it came into my vision. On top of that it has two matching buildings, the Baptistry and the Cathedral.

I'm not going to tell you run to Italy and put Pisa on the top of your list of things to do. But, if you're in the area I think it is worth visiting. If you want to go to the top though, you'll want to book that in advance.

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Photo of the Week: California

2012-01-16T05:28:00.000-05:00

Disney's California Adventure

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Recommendation

2012-01-13T06:33:00.000-05:00

This weeks Trip/Recommendation is Contiki.

Contiki does tours for 18-35 year olds. Since I'm turning 36 years old this year I have maybe one more chance to take a tour and then I'll have to move on to taking different vacations and using different tour companies. So I'm leaving Contiki to the next generation.

Contiki offers tours of Europe, North America (US, Canada, Mexico), Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.

Contiki isn't for everyone. I think it's great for young, less experienced travelers. For the experienced or independent travelers, Contiki may not be a good fit. While you do get a lot of free time, there are times when you are traveling in a big group and there is at times a schedule (unless you want to find your own way to the next city). But it takes away the stress of planning transportation, choosing hotels, and it provides about half your meals. This is even more comforting when you're traveling somewhere that they speak another language.

If you've never traveled to Europe before I would suggest a whirlwind tour that goes to a lot of places, that gives the opportunity to get to know different cultures and find out what you like. If you've traveled a bit then I would suggest a regional tour, they go slower and you get a better feel for the areas you're visiting.

The tours I've taken, and they were all great -
California Highlights (kinda short and it's the last week of the Wild Western which can be weird)
European Discovery
Scandinavia and Russia
Egypt
England and Scotland

Last Minute Travel Plans

2012-01-11T05:44:00.000-05:00

At the end of 2011 I was thinking that maybe I should go to Disney World with my annual pass in January or February before I have surgery in March, enjoy the nicer weather and have a quick fun break.

Then last week I got an email from Amex, they were offering a $100 Amex Gift Card if you purchased a round trip ticket with Delta. So I started looking for flights to Orlando and found flights for a long weekend for $205, and with the $100 Gift Card it would only really cost me $105. I was sold, and asked my sister if she wanted to come. She said yes, and she's bringing my two nephews too!

Of course no good plan goes unpunished. With the 4 of us and the overnight change in the price of the flight we're actually going to fly Jetblue (my preferred airline when flying domestically) and go for 4 days instead of 3. We'll be staying at the Polynesian, one of the resorts I've wanted to stay at (and will cost me a lot less then if I had to pay for it myself).

So here's to last minute trips!

Oh, and I have a friend going down for the leap day festivities and since I still have that Amex offer who knows what else could happen.

Photo of the Week: Scotland

2012-01-09T05:25:00.000-05:00

Glenshee, Scotland

Iphone 4s

2012-01-06T06:03:00.000-05:00

I own a bunch of cameras. My primary camera is the Canon xsi, but I also own a Canon point and shoot and a camera that is water resistant. But my new favorite camera is the one on my IPhone 4s.

On my December trip to Disney I took my DSLR and my Iphone, I left the point and shoot at home in favor of the Iphone. From the bit of testing I had done with it I knew it took good pictures and since it's my phone I always have it with me. While there were a few pictures that I had issues with, I also found that the Iphone was always with me and handy and that makes a big difference.

So for this week, I'm going to suggest the Iphone 4s (I hear the Iphone 4 has a pretty good camera too). I'm also going to suggest that you practice with it a bit and maybe get a tripod for it if you want to stretch your photography skills.

Civitavecchia - Rome On Your Own

2012-01-04T06:09:00.000-05:00

When I sailed on the Norwegian Epic and was stopping in Rome I decided to make it an easier day on myself. I've been to Rome previously and really just wanted to see the Colosseum and The Forum. I would have taken the NCL transfer to Rome, but it was $99. I don't mind paying a premium for convenience, but that was rediculous! Instead I took the train for 9 euros, which includes the Rome metro.

I can tell you how to do that, but this review is way more detialed then I could ever imagine writing so for step by step directions - Civitavecchia to Rome by train. The short story is that you take the free shuttle out of the port into town (5 minute bus ride), walk 5-10 minutes to the train, by tickets and get on the next train. I HIGHLY suggest getting a train schedule before taking the cruise, NCL did not have one available onboard. But the train seemed to run every 30-60 minutes.

I'm also going to suggest Cruize Cast Podcast #4 on Rome if you would like to try and do all the major highlights of Rome in one day.

I did things slightly differently then suggested, which was good and bad. When I got off the shuttle bus I went into the Tourist Information booth, here they tried to sell me the "fast" train for 15 euros, but it didn't leave for over an hour. The "slow" train was leaving in about 20 minutes. Also, the "fast" train only seemed to have 1 return time, but the "slow" train left every 30 minutes to an hour. The difference in the ride time was about 20-30 minutes. The "fast" train took 40 minutes the "slow" train took just over an hour, Italian time. I had a little fight with the woman here, she wouldn't answer any of my questions, just kept trying to push the fast train on me and then every other tour she could. I got annoyed and yelled at her then I bought my slow train ticket and tickets to the Colosseum/Forum. Buying the Colosseum/Forum tickets here was a FABULOUS idea, it meant I didn't have to wait on line in Rome and I was able to kill the 20 minutes I had to wait for the train anyway.

Once in Rome my friend (I met him on the ship) and I walked to the Colossum. We got a little lost and it took a while. I would suggest taking the metro unless you want the exercise (you might after eating all that good food on the ship), the walk was not in the nice touristy area of the city. I LOVED Rome the first time I went there, after walking through regular areas (for all I know I was in the ghetto, ack!) I lost some of my love for the city. It had a dirty, rundown feeling and look to it, which the tourist areas do not have. But it was also an adventure.

It was hot, I needed it!

After the Colossum and The Forum, which I'll discuss in another post, we walked to the Wedding Cake and found a nice little sidewalk cafe for lunch.

After lunch we walked back to the train station, getting pretty lost this time, we had to pull out maps and ask complete strangers for directions multiple times. This did allow us to stop and throw coins in the Trevi Fountain and just miss a train back to the port. But at least this walk was in nicer area of Rome. But if we had gotten any more lost we would have had to take a Taxi back to the train station.

I always show nice pictures, but the true Trevi Fountain has construction in front.

Unless you're interested in doing a tour in Rome, I would highly suggest taking the train into Rome, just get the schedule before you leave. It's economical, and although the train was a little run down, we didn't hit any traffic and we got to travel with Italians, who don't speak English so I have no idea what any of them said. No, I didn't expect them to speak English, but it makes it hard to find out what the locals are talking about when they're not speaking in English. You will find plenty of other cruise passengers on the train too, you wont be alone.

Photo of the Week: England

2012-01-02T06:16:00.000-05:00

The London Eye, London, England

Fireworks from Lake George

2011-12-30T05:26:00.000-05:00

From Lake George, NY

This was my first true attempt at shooting pictures of fireworks, thought they came out good

I also thought they were a fitting end to the year 2011 when I took them

I wish you all a Happy New Year, a few days early!

Can't wait to see you again in 2012

Last pieces of Barcelona

2011-12-28T06:52:00.000-05:00

I thought I had written about everything I wanted to write about in Barcelona, but then realized, I had missed 3 things. So here are the last pieces of Barcelona - Las Ramblas, Barcelona Cathedral and Barceloneta.

Las Ramblas is the main tourist strip in Barcelona. It is situated that on each side there are stores, then a lane of traffic and in the middle is a wide pedestrian walkway. The walkway has kiosks, restaurant seating, street performers and pick pockets. I am happy to say I don't know anyone who was pick pocketed, but this area is known to have lots of pick pockets so you will need to watch your wallet.

While the strip is loaded with tourists and touristy things, there are also many regular shops, like Nike, and a good atmosphere. It feels alive (but not early in the morning), and joyful. Of course you can also pick up any tourist souvenir you want, including a SpongeBob T-Shirt in Spanish (I have a 9 year old nephew). For the first time visitor to Barcelona you do need to take a walk down Las Ramblas, but if you're hungry I would take a walk a block or so away from Las Ramblas. You'll find better, cheaper food.

Barcelona Cathedral is in the gothic quarter, across from my first hotel in Barcelona. It's free to enter and is strikingly different from Sagrada Familia, it's well - gothic. If you have more then a day or two in Barcelona it's worth a visit, particularly if you have seen Sagrada Familia. I went during a mass (does that count as going to church?) so I didn't have free reign of the church. But I was able to see the architecture which was very ornate and detailed. It was pretty dark inside the church, giving the feel of candle light. With vaulted ceilings and the dim light it had a VERY old feel. I'm pretty sure the lights were electric even if they looked like candles. There were many small and ornate chaples in the back of the church, heavy in gold and very detailed in their images. But I'm pretty sure the flat screen TV's were new though.

Finally, I want to talk about Barceloneta, the beach area of Barcelona. I didn't spend too much time here, it wasn't terribly warm and there is so much to do in Barcelona, but I wanted to see the beach here. It was a nice beach, and pretty long. It's strange to think of such a large beach in a city, and only blocks away from the heart of downtown.

The area has a lot of restaurants, I hear it's known for Paella, shops but not as many hotels as I expected. One of the girls I met on the cruise stayed at Hotel Arts (the tall blue one that was formerly part of the olympic athletes village), which is a very nice (and expensive) hotel. There is also a casino here. If you're looking for a relaxing stay in Barcelona this would be a nice place to stay.

Photo of the Week: Spain

2011-12-25T06:23:00.000-05:00

In honor of Jesus's Birthday - The Nativity Facade of Sagrada Familia: Barcelona, Spain

A Christmas Photo of a Castle

2011-12-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom during the Very Merry Christmas Party

The Holidays In Disney World

2011-12-21T06:43:00.000-05:00

This year was the first time I was ever in Disney for the Christmas holidays, I had heard a lot of hype about what Disney does and it lived up to the hype!

The main holiday events are: Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom, Candlelight Processional at Epcot, and The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at the Hollywood Studios. I will go into each of these in great depth later on (probably in the middle to later part of the year as people start planning their own holiday trips.) But aside from these events the parks and resorts are dressed up for the holidays too. I felt fully immersed in the holidays while I was there.

Very Merry Christmas Party - I thought this event was over priced, but it was still fun. They have some special characters for photographs (all 7 dwarves in one place for photos), cookies and hot chocolate, a special show in front of the castle, a special parade and special Wishes fireworks. With the reduced number of people in the park I found you didn't have to fight so hard for a spot for the parade, which was good since I waited an hour to see the 7 dwarfs. The park is magical at night, and even more so when you're not fighting with so many people and are listening to Christmas music, it really does make a difference. This is an event that would be fun to do every couple years, but not necessarily every year, unless you need a little push to get into the holiday spirit.

The Osborne Family Dancing Lights - I had heard about these, I had previously seen the Streets of America. But gosh darn it, these were just cool! I love Christmas lights, I love Christmas music - lights dancing to Christmas music = heaven in my book. But it was very crowded. I actually saw these twice, the first time I was taking photos with my tripod, between that and the crowds it was just cool. But when I went for a private viewing and didn't even have my camera - I was dancing in the streets and singing songs - I LOVED it!. I also finally had a chance to help Terye find the hidden Mickeys. But I guess if you don't like Christmas lights or Christmas music then this would be a waste, of course if that's the case you should probably go to Disney another time of year.

Candlelight Processional - This is another event I had heard great things about, and it was my favorite. It was void of gimmicks and was just about Christmas. A famous person does the narration (Edward James Olmos) of the Christmas story and then a choir (accompanied by an orchestra) sang the appropriate Christmas song. If you enjoy going to church and listening to the choir sing on Christmas you will LOVE this!

Holiday Story Tellers - These are at Epcot at World Showcase. Each country has a story teller that talks about holidays in their country. While I really enjoyed the Christmas ones, I also really enjoyed the ones that talked about other holidays - The Monkey King really stood out. The Christmas ones reminds us of where our traditions come from and the non-Christmas ones remind us that the world is different and people celebrate different holidays while we're opening the presents that Santa placed under our trees.

I did visit a few of the different resorts - Grand Floridian, The Contemporary, Saratoga Springs, Yacht and Beach Club and of course my home resort of Port Orleans French Quarter. The Grand Floridian was my favorite in terms of decorations - a gingerbread house that is big enough to be a store selling gingerbread - impressive. Every resort had trees, multiple trees - I think the ones at Yacht and Beach had the best theming.

The last few years I've had trouble getting myself into the holiday spirit. But by the end of the week in Disney, I couldn't get it out of my spirit. I loved spending the holidays in Disney. I was running around the park singing about baby jesus, what more could you want? Since I bought an annual pass I think I might try to sneak in a trip right after Thanksgiving next year before my pass expires!

Photo of the Week: Italy

2011-12-19T06:19:00.000-05:00

Tevi Fountain: Rome, Italy

Guest Post: Visiting Boston, Massachusets

2011-12-16T06:39:00.000-05:00

A visit to Boston is always a great diversion for me. I live near Providence, so, a day trip to Beantown is accessible almost anytime. Traffic and parking can be a huge hassle. However, once you get by that hurdle, visiting this vibrant, diverse,exciting city is always fun.

This city is a major worldwide destination. It is many different attractions. I recently took a trip to an area called Cambridge. It is situated in the greater Boston area. Cambridge is most famous for being the home of some of the world's most prestigious institutions of higher learning including Harvard, and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A walking tour of Harvard is a must. It provides a insightful look at our nation's early history. I visited the area where George Washington took command of the colonial army in our fight for independence against Great Britain, and I touched the foot of the John Harvard statue for luck, I guess. If touching his foot was supposed to make you smarter, it didn't work for me.

The Charles River, the major interior waterway of Boston, runs right by Cambridge. Sail boats, skull boats and kayaks abound in the Charles. There is a terrific pastry shoppe in close by called "Finale's" where all sorts of delectable treats are sold. Pick out your favorite sweet, which can be a daunting task in itself, and take the short walk to the nearby grassy riverbank. It is a great way to kick back and relax.

Shopping in the trendy and upscale shops along Newbury and Tremont Streets is another experience not to be missed; at least that is what the women tell me.

Venerable Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is very close and worth a walk-by. Tickets for a game are hard to come by, but there is nothing like the atmosphere around Fenway before game time. Landsdowne Street comes alive with vendors hawking thier goods , the distinctive scent of a Fenway Franks wafts through the air, and the crack of the bat when players take batting practice are all experiences particular to Fenway.

Paul Revere

Boston has many interesting and diverse neighborhoods. Beacon Hill is one of them. Beacon Hill is well known for its prominent brownstones that are home to some of the more financially well-heeled Bostonians. Much of the real estate on Beacon Hill is valued in the millions of dollars. A stroll through gives an insight on "how the other half lives". Boston is a city the can be described as the birthplace of the American Revolution. There are many famous landmarks that I visited on a walk throughout the city on what is known as the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail includes stops at the Paul Revere house, the Old North Church, Bunker Hill, The U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), Fanueil Hall (the cradle of Liberty), Boston Harbor, the site of the Boston Massacre, the old State House. All of these attractions are very interesting and, if you are a American History aficionado, this walk is a must-do.

The most perfect way for me to end a busy day in Boston, is to stroll from Quincy Market up to the Italian North End neighborhood and eat at one of the many restaurants Hanover street, and its surroundings, abound with a myriad of choices from the quick and easy Italian pannini shops to more formal ristorantes or trattorias. It is almost impossible to make a bad decision when visiting the North End. A side note for all of those with a sweet tooth, Mikes's Pastry and Modern

Bakery offer the most delectable Italian dolci (sweets). The greater Boston area offers the visitor host of different and interesting experiences. If you get a chance to visit, do not hesitate. You will love it.

Bio: My name is Shane McCormick. I am the owner of NationalRVParks.com. I'm in my late 20's and I enjoy travel. I write about my various travel experiences. I offer tips and hints about my travel destinations. Please follow me on Twitter and Friend Me on FaceBook!

Put down the camera

2011-12-16T06:06:00.000-05:00

Incase my photos of the week haven't tipped you off, I enjoy photography. Going through photos after isn't always as much fun when you take as many as I do, but I love taking them and it's a labor of love to edit them. But sometimes you need to put the camera down and be in the moment.

I remember being in Norway on the bus watching the countryside go by. Then all of a sudden a bunch of reindeer appeared. I went to take pictures, and I did get a few. But I had to put my camera down, the reindeer were really cute. They looked like children playing together. It gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling that I never get in nature. Even without any good photos of it, it's a memory that will live with me stronger then any photos could have.

So even when you're running around trying to get pictures, remember to stop once in a while and just be in the moment, the memories will be with you longer then your photos.

Minne Ha Ha and a Lost Lens Cap

2011-12-14T06:27:00.000-05:00

Back in August when I went to Lake George I did one of the popular lake cruises, a lunch cruise on the Lac du Saint Sacrement with the Lake George Steamboat Company. There are several cruise offerings in Lake George, just cruises, lunch cruises, and dinner cruises. My friend and I choose the lunch cruise, not our best choice.

The experience started with trying to book our cruise. We had a coupon and we wanted to book separately, but only had 1 coupon. We did ask if this would be a problem before and were told it was fine. Umm, 10 minutes later we left the counter and decided we should board early because there was no way this reservation was made right.

We had been told to arrive an hour early, which we did. Our reservation was screwed up, but I think she made our party bigger so it didn't end up being an issue. Once seated we were allowed to approach the buffet, we had a waitress who brought us drinks, dessert and cleared our table. To start the chicken soup didn't look good. The buffet food was ok. There was a lot of bread and sliced meats. Then there was a hot pasta, sliced beef and salad. None of it was bad, but none of it was terribly good either. Though I did see lots of people doing the buffet thing - filling their plates and going back for more.

We were done eating around the time we set sail so we spent most of the trip on a top deck watching the beautiful coastline of the lake. And this was what made the trip worth it, I got to dream about being rich enough to own one of those houses! Ok, if I was that rich I would buy my house somewhere else, but I could rent one of those or stay at a really nice hotel for an occasional trip up there!

But we also saw the Minne Ha Ha, another boat with the Lake George Steamboat Company, that doesn't serve lunch. We should have done that cruise and had lunch in town, we had some great meals in Lake George, but not on the Lac du Saint Sacrement. But the cruise was fun and relaxing.

I'll throw in a funny story, it's only funny because it has a happy ending. I was taking the lens cap off my camera while standing at the edge of the boat and promptly dropped it. Instead of landing in the lake it landed on the edge of the boat. It was saved! Now I just had to find someone to get it for me. I did work it out with a member of the staff to get it when we got back to Lake George, but luckily the boat pulled in so that my lens cap was right next to the dock. I love a happy ending!

Photo of the Week: Spain

2011-12-12T06:49:00.000-05:00

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Track Your Flight Prices

2011-12-09T09:11:00.000-05:00

Today's Tip is: Yapta.com

Yapta is a site partnered with Kayak.com that tracks the price of flights.

You enter the information of a flight you are considering flying and it will sent email updates when there are changes in the price of the flight, particularly when the price goes down.

OR

If you already booked your flight you can enter the flight info and the price you paid and the site will email you when the price goes down and how (and if) you can get a refund or credit with the airline.

I've personally used this to save $50 on a flight to Las Vegas, I used that credit to help pay for my flights to Los Angeles earlier this year when I went to Disneyland.

Dining in Barcelona

2011-12-07T06:41:00.000-05:00

In Barcelona I had the chance to eat at 2 restaurants worthy of mention. I am no foody, though I can appreciate a good meal. I also was not terribly interested in Tapas since it was focused around fish, which I don't eat. But these two restaurants were recommended by my hotel. Taller De Tapas was recommended as a less touristy place with good food. The 4 Cats was recommended as being popular with tourists. Both were in the gothic quarter of Barcelona.

Taller De Tapas, Pl. Sant Josep Oriol, 9 (Pl. del Pi). In spite of not being in love with Tapas I had the best food on my whole trip here. It was a special that evening, duck with apple and stuff. OMG, it was delicious, tender, juicy, flavorful! The rest of the non-seafood I had was also very good. My friend got several seafood dishes and she enjoyed them all. I would absolutely recommend this place! And it was very busy there and it seemed like there were quite a few locals there - always a good sign.

The 4 Cats, Montsio, 3bis, 08002. This is known for it's connection to Picasso and has a little fancier then I would expect from a place that primarily caters to tourists. But it did have a nice ambiance. I had a steak here and it was very good, not the best ever, but I enjoyed it. I did go here with a friend and a local (who seemed to be a little annoyed we were going to such a touristy place). He didn't seem to love it, but did often speak with the staff in Catalonian so I wouldn't be surprised if we got slightly better service. He seemed to enjoy the night, but I doubt he'll be returning. In the end I enjoyed it, but thought it was pricey for what it was.

A word about dining in Barcelona. I had been told that dinner doesn't start in Barcelona until 9pm. These two dinners were on a Sunday and Monday night, I'm not sure if that makes a difference, but I found that dinner does start a little earlier then 9pm. On Sunday night I found that walking in to the restaurant at 9pm it was very busy, and walking back to my hotel at 11pm MANY places were closing up for the night. I'm not sure if it's because the gothic quarter is very touristy or if it was because it was a Sunday night. Monday night we arrived at the restaurant around 9pm and dinner seemed to just be starting to pick up, but we weren't the first ones there either. If you go out at 7pm I think you'll find only very touristy places are serving dinner, but I wouldn't be afraid to go out a little earlier then 9pm either.

Photo of the Week: England

2011-12-05T06:47:00.000-05:00

The English Countryside

Harry Potter Inspires me to travel

2011-12-02T06:29:00.000-05:00

I always love when one of my passions meets another passion. In the last few weeks I've become obsessed with Harry Potter. I finally sat down and watched the movies and fell in love with the series, now I'm reading the books. But how does this connect with travel?

2 Ways -

First, my friend Terye and I are going to Disney World next week and I hadn't given any real thought to visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I wasn't really into the series and Terye can't do thrill rides. But as I got sucked in, I started to rethink this, I knew Terye was into Harry Potter so I asked. And we have made one of our days a Harry Potter Day! Yea! Just trying to decide if I should buy a Harry Potter Robe to wear or if that was too much. Hey, we're going to experience the place, since we can't do the rides anyway.

Second, it made me think about money and the things we value in life. I have friends who say, "I don't have the money to travel." No, actually they choose other things in life over travel - fancy apartments, clothing, gadgets. And that's fine, we all decide what is important to us.

Back to Harry Potter and his friends the Weasley's. For those of you unfamiliar with the books, the Weasley's are a poor wizarding family with lots of kids, and are picked on for it. In the second book the Weasley's win some money and after setting aside money for what they needed they took the rest of the money and took the family on vacation for the summer. They could have spent the money on fixing their house, or buying new books instead of used books, but they chose to spend the money on their family and on having an experience in Egypt together. It warmed my heart!

So stop buying expensive designer clothes and spend your money visiting the Wizarding World or Harry Potter! Er, or go do whatever the heck you want, just make sure you enjoy life in the process.

Epic Dining

2011-11-30T10:52:00.000-05:00

While sailing the Norwegian Epic I had the opportunity to dine in several of the dining venues, with mixed results.

Taste is the more casual of the two main dining rooms. I had lunch and dinner here with mixed experiences. I found the staff to be friendly here, but they were hit and miss on the service. Some servers were very good and on top of things, others would forget to bring things you had asked for. I did eat with someone who had special dietary requirements and found that the head waitress (or whatever their title is) did try to meet that request. But I didn't find they were as aggressive about it as they could have been.

Manhattan Room

Manhattan Room is the formal main dining room. I ate one dinner here. The staff was very good and quite attentive.

I believe both main dining rooms had the same menu everyday with base items on it. Then everyday they would have a few special items offered that were local to the region we were in.

Cagney's Steak House has a $25 up charge and from what I can tell offers better choices and cuts of meat as well as also offering Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. The food and the service here were better then the main dining rooms, but it was also pretty quite in the restaurant. I think this is a good choice for the steak lovers out there. There was also a Moderno Churrascaria a Brazilian meatfest! One of those places where they bring around different types of meat. I did not eat here, but I heard good things from those who did.

Shanghai's Chinese Restaurant was a disappointment at $15. I would compare this to a better Chinese restaurant you can find in many places throughout the US. Except that it had the worst fried rice I've ever had, it was sticky and flavorless.

Teppanyaki at $25 this was similar to going to any other Hibachi place in the US and for a similar price. But, like every other Hibachi place it was fun experience with good food. And they had really good green martini's. I wish I remember the name of it, but I had too many!

O'Sheehans Neighborhood Bar and Grill offers breakfast and then regular food for the rest of the day. This is a nice spot for a quicker breakfast (without going through a buffet). They offered a quick breakfast or you could get breakfast to order. In the afternoon and evening they had a Irish Pub menu - burgers, fish and chips, meatloaf, chicken pot pie... This was a nice casual place to eat, but after 2 or 3 meals the menu got boring.

The Garden Cafe on the pool deck was, in my experience, above average compared to other shipboard buffets for lunch and dinner. I rarely encountered a line here, and found a wide variety of food options. But they had the BEST pretzel breadsticks, I miss those!

I covered the Spiegel Tent Cirque Dreams in a previous post. I believe they had just changed the menu there and I thought the food was good, but you really go to see Cirque Dreams and not for the food.

Sorry, but I did not get to eat at the French restaurant, the Italian restaurant, noodle place or the sushi place.

Photo of the Week: Egypt

2011-11-28T06:34:00.000-05:00

Sunrise over the Nile Rive, Luxor, Egypt

Guest Post: Las Vegas, NV

2011-11-25T07:02:00.000-05:00

This is a guest post from a Shane at NationalRVParks.com about affordable Las Vegas!

A trip to Las Vegas can be a great travel bargain. It is a city where one can get a lot for a little as my recent trip with my family can attest. This city is a favorite destination of ours because it is easy to travel upscale for wholesale. Affordable opulence is how I refer to these visits to our desert mecca.

Aria at Night

In September of 2011, my family of four left Providence and flew non-stop to Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines for the price of one ticket which was less than $300. Three tickets were gratis because of frequent flyer points garnered from a easy to accumulate Southwest credit card rewards program. Our hotel of choice for this trip was Aria Resort and Casino a property of the MGMMirage corporation. This hotel is only 2 years old and it is centrally located on the famous Las Vegas Strip. The cost of each room was a paltry $79 per night. This price was secured by an internet offer received when I joined their player's club.

The Aria hotel houses over three thousand rooms and suites. It is a visually stunning property. It looms majestically over the south strip. It is part of a collection of properties called City Center. City Center includes the Cosmopolitan Hotel, The Vdara Hotel, and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, along with private condos and an upscale shopping district called Crystals. Our room was furnished with an over sized King bed with a view overlooking the strip. The room also included two televisions, draperies, central lighting, all controlled by an easy to use remote controlled room unit. We just pressed a button and the television tuned in to one of a hundred channels, the lights rose and dimmed, and the draperies opened and closed all at will. All for $79 per night. This is why we love Vegas.

The pools, yes there are four pools on this property, are spacious and are meticulously maintained by an attentive staff. The Las Vegas sun is extremely hot so, needless to say, a lot of sunscreen was applied. We continually waded into the crystal clear water which provided ample relief from the sweltering sun. There is also a fitness center which we visited daily. It had all the latest workout equipment and a personal trainer at your disposal.

Our daily routine consisted of a sumptuous breakfast at Aria's sterling buffet. This is a buffet where for $13 one can dive into a true gourmet experience. It included a cook-to-order omelet station, home made pastries, every breakfast meat you can imagine, even rib-eye steaks along with too many other items to describe adequately. Every choice was fresh and plentiful. Our servers were attentive and prompt. Coffee, espresso, latte, and juices were always delivered with a smile.

After waddling out of the buffet, it was pool time. It was best to get there early to ensure a prime spot near our favorite pool's edge. It was easier to take a dip when it got too hot. The morning was better for us because of the crowd and the heat.

Next, we were off to the fitness center to burn off a few of the morning's massive caloric intake. Did I mention that the fitness center supplied headphones, fluffy towels, an array of fruit, and the most refreshing lemon infused ice-cold water I've ever tasted! Remember this was for $79 per night :).

After an afternoon shower in a bathroom that was spa-like, it was off to explore the various hotels on the strip which are a show in themselves. Every hotel is a different sensory experience. The Bellagio has its fountains, the Mirage has its volcano, the MGM its lions, Treasure Island has its pirate show. We also visited the Venetian Hotel and Casino complex. This is the largest hotel in the world with over 7000 rooms and suites. Nothing in Vegas is understated or subtle, but that is its allure for us.

Each evening was occupied by trying to decide in which gourmet chef's restaurant to dine. Emeril Lagasse, Thomas Keller, Mario Batali, Kerry Simon, Bobby Flay, Marc LoRusso, just to name a few, own and operate restaurants in this city which has become a foodie's paradise. We particularly enjoyed a restaurant called Botero located in Steve Wynn's property, Encore. We came to know Chef Marc LoRusso because of our frequent visits and he always takes care of us. Let me mention that this chef is a James Beard award winner and his dishes are inventive and delectable . We dined there for a combination of my wife's birthday and our anniversary. The frozen chocolate ganache candy bar and marshmallow filled doughnuts for dessert were absolutely "life altering".

A lounge show at the Palms on a Monday night at 10:30 is always a must for us. Tickets for a group of world class musicians called Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns, a group voted the "best band in Las Vegas" numerous times, are only $7. Another great Las Vegas bargain. These guys jam every Monday night. They get together to play tunes that speak to them, because most of them are musicians for headline strip entertainers like Celine Dion, Barry Manilow, Tom Jones, Bette Midler, and others. Monday nights are their time to kick back and do their own thing.. The result is musical magic.

My family always has a great time in Las Vegas and you can too. Just be flexible with your travel dates, and join the player's club at the different properties. You can go upscale for wholesale too!

Bio: My name is Shane McCormick. I am the owner of NationalRVParks.com. I'm in my late 20's and I enjoy travel. I write about my various travel experiences. I offer tips and hints about my travel destinations.

Shane

http://www.NationalRVParks.com

https://twitter.com/#!/NationalRVParks

Shane recently interviewed me for his own blog, if you want to find out more about me:http://nationalrvparks.com/interview-with-christine-maier-of-the-traveling-giraffe/

Photos on the Norwegian Epic

2011-11-23T07:14:00.000-05:00

The Norwegian Epic is the first ship I sailed on that uses facial recognition for photographs and; Wow, what a difference it makes!

When you board the ship they take your photo, like they do for most ships these days. After that whenever you take a photo the photo software uses facial recognition to identify you in photos. And it does a great job at it!

The photo area of the ship has triangular pillars with a binder for each cabin, photos are placed in your binder. No more searching through walls of people in the same photo setting as you.

Ok, there was a wall of photos where they weren't able to identify someone, but it was a small wall and I know that every photo I took ended up in my binder.

They do also scan room cards when going to the professional photographers, which I'm sure does help the process, but the mobile photographers did not do this. That is what made this so amazing.

In addition to the binders they also have computer screens where you can view and order your photos. If there is a bad photo, you can say that it's not you and it magically goes away. You just have to be careful that you don't do that to a good photo, I'm not sure if there is a way to get it back. You can also order prints through the computers.

From what I hear the Disney Dream may have similar technology, I hope it does. It's really fantastic and makes the photo buying experience soooo much better on cruise ships!

Photo of the Week: New York

2011-11-21T06:31:00.000-05:00

Lake George, New York

Clothing Recommendation

2011-11-18T07:10:00.000-05:00

How does pick pocket proof pants sound? FABULOUS! There is a new company called Clothing Arts that has created pick pocket proof pants and shorts!

I have not tried these pants, though I did see them in person, they look pretty cool and it's a great concept. The pockets have zippers and buttons on them, making it a complete pain in the butt for a pick pocketer to steal from you! All without bothering to wear a money belt. They also used a good quality fabric that will allow you to wash out stains and also keep the pants looking good when you wear them everyday for a month on a trip, or longer.

Like I said, I haven't tried these; but, I think for anyone who is traveling a lot, visiting big cities, and is afraid to lose their passport these pants/shorts are worth considering.

My biggest problem with these pants? They don't have woman's, yet. When asked about that the company replied, "we're a small company." To me that means that they would like to design them, but that they haven't had time and resources yet. I'm hopeful!

No, I'm not getting paid for this, I just like to help support a promising new company.

I was interviewed!

2011-11-17T19:15:00.001-05:00

This week I did an interview for another blogger. If you're interested in learning a little bit more about me and why I travel, then please check it out.

http://nationalrvparks.com/interview-with-christine-maier-of-the-traveling-giraffe/

NCL Epic Passengers

2011-11-16T06:56:00.000-05:00

This recent cruise being my first cruise traveling by myself I found that I met so many more people then I had expected. And, WOW, they were interesting!

The first woman I met on the cruise ship who really stuck out was staying in a Spa Cabin. You might wonder how I knew this? Well, I took a tour of the spa and she was on my tour. She kept loudly saying to the person travling with her, "with this band we can come in here any time, the other passengers aren't allowed in here." She was referring to a small black band that identified her as a spa cabin passenger. FYI, any passenger can buy this band for sea days or the duration of the trip.

While on an excursion I met a gentleman who was traveling by himself, I would say he was about 40 years old, he was staying in a Villa, by himself. I'm told that the villas start at $10,000 on this cruise. Incase you are wondering what he does for a living that he can afford a villa, he owns some bars in New Orleans. He was a nice guy once he got talking, but getting him to talk took some time. I suspect he's a closet wacko with good social skills when he wants to use them.

Then there was the man who told a story about how he had to deposit over $10,000 cash to a bank. Whenever you deposit $10,000 cash into a bank you had to fill out a federal form regarding the transaciton. This man didn't think anyone actually read the form so he wrote how he was using the money to buy drugs from Columbia. Apparently they do read the forms and he was visited by the DEA.

I met two girls who were traveling by themselves, it turns out that they were sorority sisters, just from different colleges. In a strange twist, one of the girls works across the street from me.

Then there was Mr. and Mrs. Polo, they actually looked like a lovely couple. But they were both wearing Polo shirts, the kind with big giant polo players on them. Being alone, I made up great stories about how they worked for Ralph Lauren and Polo. Maybe I should have talked to them, maybe they could have given me some Polo clothing.

One thing I did notice as a general theme was that many of the passengers (except for the Europeans) seemed like they were Europe rookies. They were extra paranoid about safety. I guess I was like that when I first went to Europe, wearing my money pouch under my pants everywhere I went. First timers are fun, they see things so much differently, it's nice to be reminded on where you came from.

It was an interesting cruise and it reminded me of why I love to travel, all the great and intersting people you meet.

Photo of the Week: Spain

2011-11-14T06:30:00.000-05:00

Barcelona, Spain. Sailing out of the port.

Blog Recommendations

2011-11-11T06:53:00.000-05:00

Today I thought I would recommend some Frequent Flyer Blogs. These are all blogs by frequent flyers on how to rack up frequent flyer miles and how to use those miles. What have learned from these blogs?

First and most important is that you can earn miles with a different airline then you're actually flying because of partnerships and alliances. Example - You have miles with American Airlines but now you're going to fly British Airways, enter your AA # when booking and your miles will be credited to your American account.

Going with the previous point, you do not need to fly to keep your frequent flyer account active. These programs generally only require positive activity in your FF account to keep it active. You can earn these miles in many different ways, the easiest is to go to their shipping porthole before making a purchase through another website, normally for the same price you would have paid if you just pulled up the site on your own.

You don't have to be a frequent flyer to get lots of miles, there are a lot of different ways to earn miles that don't involve flying or spending money.

While the difference in price in flying Economy vs Business/First Class is steep, it's quite marginal when using miles. If you've ever dreamed of flying Business/First Class you can hope for an upgrade (unlikely), or use miles.

Mommy Points - http://boardingarea.com/blogs/mommypoints/

Frugal Travel Guy - http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/

The Points Guy - http://thepointsguy.com/

Unroad Warrior - http://boardingarea.com/blogs/unroadwarrior/

View From the Wing - http://boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfromthewing/

Anything that I didn't mention at http://boardingarea.com

Good Luck!

More Epic Entertainment

2011-11-09T06:31:00.000-05:00

In my last post I spoke about the entertainment on the EPIC, as in the shows. In this post I'll cover the daytime entertainment.

Pools - There are two main pool areas on this ship. I didn't spend much time in the main pool area, I found the music was often too loud and I found the pools were designed more for children then adults. I think there were 4 hot tubs, but I'm not positive. This area was adjacent to the buffet, so it had free drinks - tea, milk, water, iced tea.

I spent most of my time in Spice H2O, the adult pool area. While there was normally music playing, it was at a reasonable volume. The pool was small and at night it actually converted into a dance floor (the floor of the pool would go up and down, fancy technology I hear). There were 2 hot tubs on each corner of the area with great views out the back of the ship. There was also a small buffet in this area, but there were no drink offerings other then paid drinks at the bar.

I did spend some time on a top sun deck in the front of the ship, these areas do not have music, nor do they seem to have many kids.

The ship does have a topless deck and a "freestyle" deck. I did not visit either, but I did hear through the grapevine that people do go completely nude on the "freestyle" deck.

There is also an area called Posh. I may have the story wrong, but I thought this was either part of or included in the villa complex. However, you could also pay around $100 for access during the cruise. My understanding is that there was better chairs and better bar service. I know one person who used this and enjoy it.

Slides - There were 3 slides on this ship, the main yellow one, a purple one and a green one. I did not go in the purple or the green ones because they had cold water and it was already cold that day! I did go in the big main yellow one, which some people have called a toilet bowl like slide. This slide had warm water, yea! and you rode down it on a round float. You have to get your float at the bottom of the slide so don't climb the stairs until you have your float! Initially you go down a typical water slide shoot and then you end up in the "toilet bowl" and you go around 3 times before you get sucked down the final portion of the slide. This slide was a lot of fun, though the 3 times in the toilet bowl might have been a little too much. There were a lot of adults on line for the toilet bowl slide, it was that much fun! I'm sure if there were a lot of children on the cruise or warmer out the line would have been crazy, it was long enough as it was.

Rock Climbing - The EPIC has a rock climbing and rappelling wall between the main pool area and Spice H2O. I've only done rock climbing once, but it was only a few months before and I climbed all the basic and intermediate walls. I decided to stick with the easy section on the ship. The wall was shorter, but it wasn't EASY. For someone who has never rock climbed before, this would be a tough wall and I doubt they would make it to the top. But for beginner rock climber it would be a challenge. I never made it back to the rock climbing to try another wall though. But it was fun and a nice break for the day, especially if it's not a hot day. You do not need to bring your own shoes for this, but you need socks. You will also need to sign and electronic waiver before climbing.

Nickelodeon - Being an adult I didn't truly partake in the Nickelodeon events. There was a breakfast a couple mornings on the ship and then there were meet and greets a few afternoons. I did stop by one of the meet and greets. I was hoping to get a picture with Spongebob for my nephew, but they only had Dora characters that day. If you can't do the special Nickelodeon cruise they have, the breakfasts and the meet and greets are a nice treat for your little (or big) Nickelodeon fans. The only thing I would have preferred is if they said who was going to be at the meet and greets.

Ice Bar - The ship has a Svedka Ice Bar, the first at sea! There is an additional charge for this venue, $20 on my sailing which includes 2 drinks. I had been in an Ice Bar in Stockholm, which I thought was better then this bar, but since this was on a cruise ship, it's kinda cooler! When you go you get a silver poncho style coat and gloves. After you dress up a photographer will take pictures and then you go in. I think you're allowed in for 40 minutes, but I'm not sure many people make it the full 40 minutes, it is cold in there! I was wearing a dress (not recommended) and socks. Inside the bar there is a ice bar, ha ha, 2 or 3 ice benches and 2 ice sculptures, one was a bear and I think the other was a viking, maybe. Most of the ice surfaces had a covering on them, plastic on the bar and a furry thing on the benches.

Bowling - The ship had 2 sets of lanes for bowling. I only saw the one in O'Sheehans used once or twice. They had neon lights and offered shoe rental. On a more relaxing cruise this might have been a fun option.

Watch Sale - I'm not sure if a watch sale is actual entertainment, but this somehow felt a bit like it. They offer like 60% off watches and people act like they're giving them away. It was actually a bit frightening. I tried to look and thought about getting a watch, but the lines were so long and the people were acting like animals so I passed on the watch. I recommend watching people at the watch and buy a watch somewhere else.

Photo of the Week: Scotland

2011-11-07T06:27:00.000-05:00

Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

Travel Tip - Safety, as in the pin

2011-11-04T06:30:00.000-04:00

Here's your travel tip - safety pins.

I know a lot of people are very concerned about the safety of purses and backpacks and camera bags when traveling. There is an easy and cheap solution to this - saftey pins.

Just use the safety pin to close up the zipper on your purse, backpack, camera bag, murse, man bag, etc.

It's cheap, still allows you easy access to your bag and makes a thief look elsewhere for a target - struggle with a safety pin and risk getting caught or find some other unsuspecting victim????

As an extra added bonus you can use your safety pin if your zipper breaks, button falls off, or any other wardrobe malfunction.

Epic Entertainment

2011-11-02T07:20:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know the name of this post is cheesy, when you name a ship Epic, you ask for it!

When Norwegian launched the Norwegian Epic the entertainment obviously had to match the name, it had to be epic and I thought they did an excellent job!

I'll start with my only complaint and get it over with. With so many people on the ship you had to make advanced reservations (pre-boarding or on the first night) for many of the shows if you wanted to guarantee to get in. However, if you couldn't get a reservation there was usually a standby line, which I hear got everyone in. This system, while reducing the chaos at these shows, took a lot of the spontaneity out of the cruise entertainment.

On the first night of the cruise I went to see Cirque Dreams. This is not a Cirque du Soleil show, but its the same type of performance: acrobatics, music, clowns, and in this case - audience participation. I'm not a huge fan of this type of show. I enjoy it, but I also get a bored after about 45 minutes. The nice thing about Cirque Dreams is that it's a dinner show so you have a little distraction from the show which helped prevent the boredum from setting in.

Cirque Dreams takes place in a Spiegel Tent, whatever that is, the setting is like a theatre in round. It has two floors and the seats upstairs are cheaper (there is an additional fee for this dinner and show), I also thought they were better as there are fewer sight line issues and you're not picked for audience participation. You do need to show up early to get seating, which is especially important if you get the premium seating on the main floor - if you come late you'll end up in the back of the room and you'll miss what is going on in the air during the show. The food was good, very tasty. I don't remember what they served, though I know it was a new menu for my cruise, but there was a sampling of different appetizers, main courses and desserts.

Blue Man Group's Theatre

I would recommend Cirque Dreams to anyone who likes Cirque du Soleil types of shows and to anyone who has considered seeing a show like this. You can't beat the price ($20 or $30) on this cruise to find out if you do enjoy it.

Next up is Blue Man Group, I had not seen this before and I enjoyed the show. I'll admit I didn't get the plot of the show, but there were lots of cute and goofy things to keep me entertained. I know this show isn't loved by all, but for the price (included in your cruise), it's certainly worth seeing. I hear it's pretty similar to the shows done in the US; however, they do have audience participation. Consider yourself warned.

Steven Sorrentino as Sonny and Cher

Steven Sorrentino is a Vegas comedian who was on our ship for the summer. Tickets to his show were particularly hard to get. I enjoyed his show, I laughed a lot. His "victims" ranged from the Marx Brothers to famous people in the 1970's so I would say his audience would primarily be for the 40+ crowd from the US. I know the British didn't get most of his jokes.
There were quite a few things that I did not see - some Spanish Ballet, which I heard was very good. A puppet show, which I heard you couldn't see the puppets unless you were in the front. Legends In Concert, which I heard mixed reviews of. The Second City was not on our ship, they took off for the summer. I was disappointed by this, they were on my cruise in Hawaii and were very good.

There was a Beatles band, I thought they were very good, but the crowd didn't seem to get into it so the experience wasn't great.

But my favorite entertainment was Howl At the Moon where their motto is "it isn't how well you sing, but how loud." In case you're wondering it's dueling pianos. One of the nice things is that there are 3 people so they rotate their breaks and the show never stops! Maybe I'm a cheesy 35 year old, but I loved just hanging out and singing along. They took requests and often made funny and entertaining renditions of songs and other times they just did a nice ballad. Good times!

Photo of the Week: New York

2011-10-31T06:58:00.000-04:00

From: Lake George, NY

Happy Halloween

Meet, Plan, GO!

2011-10-28T06:29:00.000-04:00

On October 18 I took the opportunity to go to the Meet, Plan, Go national event. Meet, Plan, Go is an organization to support people in taking career breaks. A career break being defined as a month plus break from your job.

Back in 2003 when I took my first Contiki tour, I never thought 6 days could change my life so much. I met people who were taking 3, 6, 12+ months off from work to travel the world. WHAT? It was crazy, I had heard about people taking a gap year after college and before going back to work. But your company was holding your job while you were traveling the world? Between that and the experiences on my trip (and in hindsight I wouldn't even call this my best Contiki trip) I came back and started to look at my life from the outside and was horrified. Ok, it wasn't that bad, but I wasn't in love with my life either. I did make some adjustments in my life, but it's a process.

8 and a half years later I'm still processing those emotions and considering my options. For 8 years of processing I haven't gotten that far... That is why I decided to go to the Meet Plan Go national event, to help get a push in the process.

What did I get out of it?
No one who has done a career break has regretted it.
My concerns about health insurance are real (check out my other blog at http://creatingabeautifulmouth.blogspot.com if you want more information on that.)
I need to start saving more (or cutting out more spending), maybe both ;)
There are companies that already support sabbaticals, and many others will even if they don't know it right now.
You should incorporate volunteering or learning in your trip, it will give a better justification for the trip and improve your resume when you come back and want to find a new job.
Have a purpose for you trip.

What are my next steps? I work for the government so a sabbatical will be harder then it might be for someone in private industry. BUT, I do get 5 weeks of vacation time, which is FANTASTIC for an American and a reason I do stay at my job. So, after I finish all the work on my teeth I will take a month long career break - that should be in about a year or so. I'm still trying to decide where, but it will likely be either Australia or New Zealand. I'm open for opinions on that, as long as you don't get offended if I don't choose your choice of destination.

I can retire from my government job in about 7 and a half years. I would like to make it that long at my job, but I'll have to see what the future holds. But once I retire I fully plan on taking at least a couple months to travel. Knowing that I plan my shorter trips to hit places that I would be less likely to visit on a 3+ month trip around the world.

All of this is a rough plan, but gives enough structure to allow me to start making choices in life. Do I really need a new car with a hefty monthly payment? Or would a used car be ok with a smaller payment? Do I really that stupid thing in the store that's just going to collect dust?

On a completely different note, 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.

If you're interested in a career break here are a few websites that you might want to check out (I originally made a list, and then got a better list via email from Meet, Plan, Go so I copied that):

CAREER BREAK/RTW TRAVEL SITES

http://meetplango.com/

http://meetplango.com/basic-training/

http://www.bootsnall.com/rtw/

http://careerbreaksecrets.com/

http://rebootbreak.com/

http://www.gobackpacking.com/Blog/

MONEY/BUDGETING SITES/BLOGS

http://www.rtwexpenses.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-travel-around-the-world-year-1-summary/

http://alittleadrift.com/2009/10/rtw-budget-travel-around-the-world/

http://travel.booklocker.com/2009/05/04/round-the-world-travel-budget/

http://manvsdebt.com/

http://www.bootsnall.com/rtw/round-the-world-tips-budgeting-for-your-rtw.html

http://www.theroadforks.com/offtheroad/how_we_budget_for_rtw

http://almostfearless.com/2009/09/07/planning-a-travel-budget-that-works-day-7-of-30w30d/

http://globetrooper.com/notes/travel-budget/

http://takeyourbigtrip.com/2010/03/03/how-to-estimate-a-big-trip-budget-an-introduction/

http://www.rtwexpenses.com/

ACCOMODATIONS

Hostel/Hotel Sites

hihostels.com

http://www.gomio.com/

http://www.hostels.com/

http://www.hostelworld.com/

http://hostels.bootsnall.com/

http://www.hotels.com

Apartment/Condo/House Rental Sites

http://www.vrbo.com/

http://www.homeaway.com/

http://www.airbnb.com/

House Sitting

http://www.caretaker.org/

http://www.housecarers.com/

http://www.trustedhousesitters.com/

http://www.mindmyhouse.com/

http://www.sabbaticalhomes.com/Home_Exchange.aspx

Staying with Locals

https://www.tripping.com/

http://www.couchsurfing.org/

Homestays

http://www.usservas.org/index.php

Home Exchanges

http://www.homeexchange.com/

http://www.homexchangevacation.com/

http://www.homebase-hols.com/

Working Abroad/Exchanging work for room and board

http://www.helpex.net/

http://www.wwoof.org/

http://www.aupair.com/

http://www.workaway.info/

VOLUNTEERING/VOLUNTOURISM

http://b2b.meetplango.com/2009/03/how-to-choose-an-international-volunteer-program/

http://www.idealist.org/

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/

http://toolkit.bootsnall.com/volunteering-abroad-travel-guide/volunteer-abroad-links.html

http://www.geovisions.org/

PACKING

http://www.bootsnall.com/rtw/faq-packing.html

http://meetplango.com/2011/08/choosing-the-perfect-backpack/

http://www.poweredbytofu.com/how-to-pack-for-a-1-year-round-the-world-trip/

http://alittleadrift.com/rtw-travel/rtw_packing/ (includes a female packing list)

http://blog.hostelbookers.com/travel/how-to-pack-your-backpack/ (how to best pack your backpack)

http://www.travelindependent.info/whattopack.htm

http://gogreentravelgreen.com/extended-travel/ultimate-packing-list-for-a-round-the-world-trip/(2 female packing lists)

http://www.aswetravel.com/rtw-gear-list-our-2011-packing-list/(male and female packing lists for two digital nomads)

AIRFARE SITES AND DEALS

http://meetplango.com/round-the-world-tickets/

http://www.bootsnall.com/tripplanner.shtml

http://tripplanner.airtreks.com/?ref=BOOTSNALL

http://www.kayak.com/

http://www.hipmunk.com/

INSURANCE - MEDICAL/TRAVEL

www.insuremytrip.com

http://meetplango.com/travel-insurance/

http://www.hthworldwide.com/

TRAVEL MESSAGE BOARDS

http://boards.bootsnall.com/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa

Stirling and a Big Giant Hill

2011-10-26T07:10:00.000-04:00

This is the last planned post about my trip last year on a Contiki tour of England and Scotland, my visit to Stirling. It's a fitting last post, Stirling had a giant hill, and I feel like I've finishing climbing up a hill writing this last post about the trip!

Our visit at Stirling started with a stop at the Wallace Monument. Normally, I'm game for an adventure to see a monument like this, but with limited time and it being located at the top of a steep hill, I decided pass on this one. See, I have a fear of climbing downhill - slipping and breaking my leg. It's not a rational fear, but since it only impacts me once in a while, I choose not to address this issue. But you can read more about how this fear affects in this post on visiting a glacier.

The good news is that there is a nice visitor center with food, drink and shopping.

Our next stop was Stirling Castle where we were given an hour or two to have lunch and explore. THIS is the big giant hill, Stirling Castle is at the top of a hill in Stirling. It's the type that you could easily walk down while exploring the city without realizing how much of a climb back up it will be. I'm not a wimp when it comes to a good walk, but if you don't leave yourself enough time you wont be able to pace yourself going back up to meet the bus. And for what? A few minutes to see the town?

What's a savy travler to do? Look out the window on the way in and the way out so you can "see" the town. Then walk half way down to a pub (Nicky Tams) and have a nice lunch. After lunch you'll have some time to see the castle, visit the gift shop, or just enjoy the sceanery.

I decided not to visit the castle. I had already seen Edinburgh Castle and quite honestly, these sites in England and Scotland are expensive! And the Pound is not a friend of the Dollar! If I had enough time to really explore the castle I might have gone, but I didn't think 30 minutes was going to be enough time considering the cost. The good thing was that there was an ice cream truck and a few statues to explore outside the castle. It was also a beautiful day and the views from the parking lot were quite nice as long as you didn't look at the parking lot.

But on my walk halfway down the hill, Stirling struck me as a nice little town. It was kind of quiet, but there were cute shops and pubs and some old world charm. You really can't go wrong visiting anywhere in Scotland, and certainly not in Stirling.

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.

Photo of the Week: Egypt

2011-10-24T06:51:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-21T06:05:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-19T06:53:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-17T06:46:00.000-04:00

From: Rome, Italy - The Colosseum

Changing my format

2011-10-14T07:04:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-12T07:08:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-10T06:59:00.000-04:00

From: Stonehenge, England

My first time on Delta Internationally

2011-10-06T07:03:00.000-04:00

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

2011-10-03T06:27:00.000-04:00

From Barcelona: Inside Sagrada Familia

Fort William Henry Hotel & Conference Center

2011-09-29T07:23:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-26T06:35:00.000-04:00

Yankee Stadium: The Bronx, New York City

Norway's Maritime History or Not

2011-09-22T06:22:00.000-04:00

I'm watching a Rick Steve's video podcast about Norway's Maritime History, the museums in Bygdoy. I was in Oslo when I took a Contiki tour back in 2006 and I went to Bygdoy, but I never went to any of the museums there, so as I'm watching this I was thinking - I didn't see that. As opposed to the joy I get when I watch shows and say "I've been there!"

Where I hung out instead, not too bad!

The reason I didn't go is that I'm not really in Viking History, I'm into all sorts of history, but more modern history topics. And I like boats and the sea, but when I walked up to the museums and saw how much money they wanted, I decided that this wasn't what I came to see, I wanted to see the beauty of Scandinavia.

In the end I don't regret my decision, I saw what I wanted to see in Scandinavia - beauty! Sometimes I think I should have gone to one of these museums, but I don't have a feeling of regret about it. I think we all need to have goals in our trips, maybe it's seeing the Mona Lisa or the Vatican, or maybe you just want to relax and you can count your success with how many pina colladas you had on the beach. In the end the only person you need to satisfy with your trip is you, so do what you want to do, even if it means skipping the major sites of a location.

Photo of the Week: Italy

2011-09-19T07:05:00.001-04:00

From: Pisa, Italy

Sagrada Familia: Where Art and Architecture Blend Together

2011-09-15T07:02:00.015-04:00

I'll get it out of the way at the start - this is my favorite church, EVER!

With all the fabulous things I have seen in my life, this is one of two that stopped me dead in my tracks. Sagrada Familia is the type of place where I could spend days just exploring the intricacies and simply being present. In my last post about Gaudi I talked about Art and Architecture meeting - this is where it blends. Oh, the other thing that stopped me was David in Florence, I could have stared at him for hours.

Model of the church when completed

The church has 3 facades, but only 2 are completed: Passion Facade and Nativity Facade. I thought the Passion Facade was overdone, it just has a little too much going on to appreciate the scenes.

Nativity Facade

The Passion Facade is so dramtic and clean (it's supposed to have a boney look) that it really relays the drama of the Passion (as in Christ on the Cross - THAT passion).

Passion Facade

But the top of the church has lots of interesting things, yes some of those things are fruit. And the arches or butresses that hold up the church, they're supposed to look like trees, it's not just your imagination. Guadi was very into nature, and it is a leading element of the design.

The inside of the church has a very churchlike design. A cross layout, the alter with jesus on the cross hanging over it, choir areas, stained glass. At first glance it's an obvious chatholic church. But Gaudi's touches make it so unique. There are soft flowing lines, the pillars are designed to look like trees, and the ceiling is like a conopy of leaves, that whole art blending into architecture thing!

I thought I would be here for an hour but I was here at least 2 hours, I would have stayed longer, but I had other things on my list for the day.

Just some tips for visiting, which you MUST do if you're in Barcelona. Go early or get tickets in advance. I arrived at 8:30 (they open at 9:00) and there were probably already 50-100 people on line. Also, bring cash, they don't take credit cards. I also think that you'll need to get the audio guide, it's well done and explains the nuances of Gaudi's designs.

If you're interested in more about Barcelona or Gaudi please click the links of past blog posts.

I have tons of photos, it was hard to choose which to post and which to leave out. I will be posting many more photos as part of the photo of the week on Mondays.

Reminder: I can be found on Twitter @Travelingiraffe

Photo of the Week: Switzerland

2011-09-12T07:01:00.001-04:00

From: Mt. Stanserhorn, Switzerland

Gaudi's Barcelona - Where Art and Architecture Meet

2011-09-08T07:01:00.045-04:00

Barcelona from Park Guell

I'm riding around Barcelona on my first afternoon in the city and I'm more asleep then awake, I guess 4 hours of sleep on a plane wasn't enough. I decide I had to get off the bus soon and as I try to think where to do that I looked up and see Sagrada Familia. I wasn't planning on seeing the church now, but if it woke me up, then it did the job so I got off the bus. It was time to explore Gaudi's Barcelona...

Park Guell

Antoni Gaudi was a modernistic architect with a very unique sytle, he has left his fingerprint all over Barcelona. He's best known for his work designing Sagrada Familia; but, he is also know for Park Guell, Casa Batllo and Casa Mila.

I'm going to skip Sagrada Familia for now, except to say that it's magnificent! It's so magnificent that it deserves its own post. My next stop after waking up was Park Guell.

Maybe I was tired and cranky but the first thing I thought of when I walked in was the time Disney did that cheesy overlay on Cinderella's Castle, not a good sign. Looking at it now I'm not quite so repulsed by it, it reminds me more of gingerbread houses and they're kinda cute, right? Ok, the highlight here was that I bought a bunch of really cute necklaces for 3 euro each, I bought one for every girl I know.

Park Guell

I only ever saw Casa Mila from the outside and it's a pretty cool looking building, and not totally out of place. It blended in with the nearby architecutre, but was also distinct.

Casa Mila

At this point, I wasn't totally digging Gaudi, I thought he was a little out there. But I went to Casa Batllo anyway, I had heard great things. The outside of the house doesn't do much for me, too bright and out of place on the block. I slowly started to adjust to the place, as I started to see his designs giving flow to the house. How much thought was put into functionality, and not just making things look good, this place really started to grow on me - this is where I started to see his architecture as a form of art. Some of it is over the top, but the combination of nature and curved lines actually started to sit well with my contemporary design leanings. There were a few weird things, but overall I really liked this place.

Casa Batllo
Whether you like Guadi's work or not, he really does have a style all his own. He designs with a purpose and a lot of his work is not only functional, but is also a piece of art. I'm not sure I would hire Gaudi to design my house (ya know, from the grave - he did passed away years ago), but I wouldn't rule out the possibility either.

Casa Batllo Dining Room

Seating for a courting couple

This is the second part of a series on Barcelona, the first post can be found here.

Photo of the Week: England

2011-09-05T06:56:00.001-04:00

From: London - The Changing of the Guard
Hey, not all jobs are created equal - Happy Labor Day!

British Museum

2011-09-01T07:04:00.003-04:00

Rosetta Stone

The first time I visited London I didn't have much interest in the British Museum. But on my trip last year it was at the top of the list. The difference? I had been to Egypt and wanted to see the Rosetta Stone.

The British Museum is great. The main atrium was large and open with lots of natural light. There were also benches where you could rest while you planned your attack on the museum.

Off the main room is the Rosetta Stone, other then being a big rock with 3 languages (Dolmotic, Greek, Hyroglypyics) on it, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Well, it is a BIG rock with tiny print on it, I think that was what surprised me most. In the Egyptian temples hyroglyphics are so large, but on the Rosetta Stone it was tiny.

I did visit the rest of the Egyptian exhibit, which had some really impressive pieces. The collection wasn't even close to as large as The Met in New York City. But, the pieces were better, if you don't factor in that the Met has a temple. Hmmm, Temple vs Rosetta Stone - I think Rosetta Stone wins for it lasting influence.

Next I went to the Greek exhibits, which were impressive in the calabre of the art - heck when you steal from the Parthenon you will get some good art. But like most ancient greek art, it wasn't in great condition - missing arms, legs, heads, etc. Don't get me wrong, what they had was well cared for, it just hadn't lasted the test of time before being rescued for the elements.

After this I decided to head back to my hotel. After flying in that morning, and visiting St. Paul's I was a bit exhausted. But for the price of FREE - the British Museum is more then a bargain! I did hear that the British govenrment is considering charging to visit the British Museum, so if you're to London soon that should definately be high on your list.

Reminder: I can be found on Twitter @Travelingiraffe

Photo of the Week: Italy

2011-08-29T07:08:00.001-04:00

The Colosseum, Rome Italy

Barcelona, learning to love a city...

2011-08-25T06:56:00.001-04:00

When I arrived in Barcelona is was early, I was tired, it was cool out, and it was cloudy. My visit to Barcelona, while not bad, didn't start on quite the right foot. It just felt like a city, but kinda short - as in short buildings. But as I spent more time there the more city grew on me. I guess it often works that way though.

I had met a woman on my flight who was going to be on my cruise through Cruise Critic, we decided to take a taxi together since our hotels weren't far from each other. Much easier then taking the Aerobus and then walking 10 minutes to my hotel with my luggage. We parted ways from there and I managed to meet another woman from my hotel that was on my flight. We got to talking and ended up taking the hop on and off bus around the city. It was nice to have company since I thought I would be alone for a lot of the cruise. I was thankful I brought my fleece with me, it was cold on that bus! It was also cloudy so Barcelona didn't get the chance to show its true colors, that happened when I returned to the city after the cruise.

But as time went on and I got to see all the different areas of the city - the gothic quarter, Montjuic, Barceloneta, Placa Espanya, Placa de Catalunya, and a bunch of Gaudi stuff, the city grew on me. All the different areas seem to really complement each other, the city has a great flow to its architecture and several interesting buildings.

When I first walked around the Gothic Quarter I didn't really appreciate it, I think I was distracted by the thought of getting lost. Also, when the area is quiet, it feels a little seedy. It's made up of lots of little alleys and tight roadways and with the tall buildings there is often isn't any direct sunlight. But, when everything is open and people are walk around, it's lively and inviting with shops and restaurants. Granted, most of it is touristy, but there is a great vibe in this area, once you get past the fear of getting lost ;). There are also lots of little (and occasionally big) open spaces for people to congregate, and for restaurants to have outdoor seating. I don't think I appreciated this until I had gotten a feel for the city and could appreciate it.

Gothic Quarter

Barcelona is a great city, especially if you're interested in architecture. I think it takes some time to get to know this city, for cruise passengers who may only have a day here they might not get a chance to see all that the city has to offer, but if you have the time to find the heart of the city, you will fall in love too.

Reminder: I can be found on Twitter @Travelingiraffe

Barceloneta:

Formerly the Athletes Village

Hotel Arts

Photo of the Week: France

2011-08-22T06:34:00.002-04:00

From the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River

Ebook Review - Getting Out of Auto (with your camera)

2011-08-19T06:39:00.002-04:00

I recently got the opportunity to review a new Ebook - Getting Out of Auto Photo Ebook. This was quite timely because my last trip to Europe (Cruise from Barcelona) was the first trip when I shot primarily in manual or other priority modes. I'll admit it was occasionally a hassel, but at other times it was a fun challenge. I also got some really great photos, and I loved hearing the compliments about them!

I highly recommend that anyone with a camera take a little time to learn about the different settings. Even if you're happy with your Auto mode photos, occasionally the only way to get a decent photo is to play with the settings - sunrise, sunset, or night shots are prefect examples of when you'll want to know your camera.

Back to the book...

I really like the way the book simplifies Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed with different types of examples. I have to admit though, the more I think about Aperture, the more confused I get, I think I have a block. It has some relevant examples, the type that make you say, "Oh, that's how I get that effect, I love that look!"

The author does a great job of explaining the "rules" of photography, not only the what, but the why. Knowing to use the rule of thirds is one thing, understanding why it makes a better photo allows you to use it more effectively.

I found this book very interesting, even though I've started to shoot in manual modes, I was reminded of how much more I still need to learn about photography. But remember, you can read all the books you want, if you don't go out and practice and try different things you wont improve. My biggest complaint about the book? I was trying to take a photo in Lake George and couldn't get the settings right, a week later while reading this book I figured out my problem. Maybe I should have read faster!

Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh

2011-08-18T06:47:00.001-04:00

The Scottish home to the British royal family...

Visiting Holyrood Palace is the first time I've been in a palace set up to be seen as a palace, that makes me think that I need to find new friends ;). I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, I have been to see the Hermitage and the Louvre, but since they serve as museums they are different.

The palace, while quite lovely, was not quite as grand as I expected. You start the tour at an outside courtyard, which is very nice and then you enter the main building. The first stop inside is of an outside walkway around another courtyard that is enclosed by the building. From there you finally enter the palace.

Inside the palace I got the distinct feeling that there are spaces set aside for the tour, designed to represent different points in history. Then there are spaces that are still used by the Queen, there doesn't seem to be much overlap of these two areas. I would guess that at 2/3rds the tour was in areas dedicated to the tour and the history of the palace and of the Scotish and English royal families.

After going through the palace you exit at the cathedral where you can again take photos. You are not permitted to take photos of the interior of the palace which I find frustrating. I'm sure there are several reasons for this, some better then others. But, my memory has faded quite a bit since I was there. I could have bought a book about the palace, but it would just sit on my shelf with the other books I've bought in my travels and maybe gotten looked at once or twice.

I do remember the audio tour was very good, well paced and chock full of information without being overwhelming. I really liked the dining room and some of the other public types of spaces, though many were not quite as over the top as I would have expected in a palace. The rooms that were part of the history were also well done, particularly the areas designated for Mary Queen of Scots.

Who would I recommed to visit? Those who have never seen a palace before and for those who are interested in Scotish history. If you've been to a palace before and are short on time in Edinburgh, you might want to spend time exploring other areas of the city.

I did not visit the Queens Gallary, I'm just not a big art person so thought I would spend my time doing something else.

Photo of the Week: Vermont

2011-08-15T06:40:00.001-04:00

Incase you're sick of the heat, this one's from Okemo in Vermont. Hope it cools you down.

NCL Epic Mediterranean 2012

2011-08-11T06:27:00.003-04:00

For those of you who have not heard, the Norwegian Epic will be sailing the Mediterranean in 2012 again, but with a different itinerary and with a choice of booking out of either Barcelona or Rome.

New Itinerary:
Barcelona, Naples, Rome / Civitavecchia, Livorno, Nice, Marseille, Barcelona

I hadn't given much thought to the Barcelona vs Rome embarkation port since I just did the Western Med this summer. But thenl my friend was talking about taking a Mediterranean cruise next fall, and I decided I would choose Rome. One of the problems I had with the Mediterranean cruise is that Livorno is far from Florence and Civitavecchia is far from Rome. You end up spending a MINIMUM of 2 hours going to and from the city, which kinda stinks since you only spend 12 hours in port.

With this new itinerary you could board the ship in Rome/Civitavecchia, fly in early (or stay after the cruise) and spend as much time as you want in Rome. Of course now you can't do that in Barcelona, which is a great city (more to come on that in the coming weeks). But, Barcelona's port is right in the city, you can get off the ship and take a 10 minute taxi ride and you're in the heart of the city.

I think the Rome embarkation just makes more sense if you're taking this cruise to see as much as possible. Of course if you've already been to Rome, then boarding in Barcelona might make more sense, then you can have a "sea" day in Rome and relax.

Reminder: I can be found on Twitter @Travelingiraffe

Photo of the Week: Scotland

2011-08-08T07:09:00.003-04:00

Sunrise in Northern Scotland

Epic Studio Cabins, the good, the bad and the shower...

2011-08-04T06:36:00.003-04:00

Studio cabins, did NCL accidentally get it right?

Yes and No!

I've heard that when NCL originally designed the studio cabins on the EPIC they were supposed to be small double occupancy rooms, but they didn't sell well so they made them solo passenger cabins, though you can still put 2 people in them if you choose. They have a private lounge area for only the studio passengers, it has a bar (open 1 hour a day), coffee, snacks and continental breakfast. There is even a member of the staff that helps to get the passengers to know each other.

It sounds perfect, and NCL absolutely got this right. But it felt like now that they have this product they don't quite know what to do with them now, I think the concept needs a little nurturing to make it truely fantastic.

I'll start with the cabins...
The cabins, although small, are nice. The bathroom is broken up - the toilet, shower and sink are separate. The shower has a glass wall with frosting on it, but the frosting needs to be darker and cover more of the wall, luckily I was the only one in the room. There are two closets in the room,with doors that slide (when open they cover the sink and the TV), each with a hanger bar and 2 shelves. There are additional shelves in the room, but no drawers. If you look hard enough, there are baskets under the bed for additional storage. I thought there was plenty of storage for 1 person, but I think it would be tight if there was a second person in the room. Actually, everything about this cabin was just fine for 1 person, but I couldn't imagine a second person in one of these cabins, except maybe a mother and small child.

Vanity

Toilet

The room comes with "mood" lighting. This was neat for about 2 minutes, then it was annoying. Even more annoying was the panel to change the settings was next to the bed, not near the door. Although there is no thermostat there is a panel that allows you to adjust the temperature to cooler or warmer, I think this is the first ship I've had this feature on and I like it! My cabin had at least 3 sets of outlets, several of which were for european and american plugs. There was a table and a bench in the room, but both were so small that I only used them to put stuff on.

Mood Lighting

The Studio Lounge:

The studio lounge was a private area that offered a bar, drinks, food, sitting area and TV. It was a nice sized space for the number of passengers in the studios, it was busiest in the mornings (continental breakfast was offered) and evening, but never crowded. The space was used for the solo passenger meet ups, which was the only time the bar was open. We had a member of the social staff assigned to us for the solo meet ups, Sol, she helped get everyone introduced and arranged for 1 group dinner.
I think this is the area where the studio cabins fell short. I met many wonderful people who were staying in the studio cabins, some were very outgoing and others were very very shy. I think that the staff member who is assigned to the studio lounge should be organizing more activities. I don't think this is the fault of Sol, from what I have heard everyone has had the same experience since the ship launched, so I think this is how NCL has designed the position. I would have liked to have seen a few more dinners planned, particularly in the specialty restaurants, a session in the Ice Bar or bowling. I think that would open up more opportunities for solo cruisers and it would generate more money for the cruise line - a win for all.

The other thing that I thought was missing was a window or a balcony or anything involving fresh air and sunlight. Since the studio cabins were inside I felt an extra need to go outside in my free time, I know other people expressed a concern about possibly feeling clausterphobic in these cabins. I had no issue with clausterphobia. There were a few occasions where I would have liked to have spent time in the lounge, but with no window or baloncy, I chose to go up on deck instead. I think the interior nature of the lounge kept it from being a more popular place to congregate. Not that it needed a big section of window or a large balcony, but anything would have been better. The best example of this was on the last day of the cruise I ate breakfast in the lounge, got my things and debarked the ship. To my surprise it was cold and raining and ended up not being dressed properly.

Hallway for the Studios

I have written NCL a letter about all of my thoughts on improving the Studio cabin experience, so I don't mind saying it here. They did write back and thank me for my input. But since this post seems to be a bit negative, I do want to add that I absolutely LOVED this cruise and the studio cabins. I made many wonderful friends and would definatley consider sailing on the EPIC again if I was traveling by myself. I would also recommend this ship to anyone else traveling by themselves. I just think there are a few things that can be done to make it an even better experience.

Reminder: I can be found on Twitter @Travelingiraffe

Photo of the Week: New York

2011-08-01T07:06:00.002-04:00

New York - Times Square at night

Edinburgh with and without friends

2011-07-27T06:48:00.001-04:00

When planning my trip to England and Scotland I wasn't sure one day was enough time in Edinburgh so I added 2 extra days in Edinburgh at the end of the trip. I had a chance to see the city with friends I had made and then a chance to return and see it as a lonely sad person. Should I even continue with this post?

Ok, I'll continue. Before the trip I had 2 days alone in London, and while it was a little lonely with no one to talk to, I was fine. But the difference of being alone after your tour, after spending 2 weeks with a group of great people, it was a world of difference.

I left Glasgow after saying goodbye to all my friends, so I was sad as it was. Then my hotel wasn't ready, but I was ready, I wanted to get myself going and seeing things before I got depressed being by myself. I had to keep busy. I eventually got into my room and was out and about to Hollyrood Palace. I ended up keeping myself pretty busy for my 2 days. The nights were a little hard though. I did take a tour one night and stayed in the other night - I packed and watched some movies.

The worst part though might be that there is not one picture of me in Edinburgh from after my trip! Glad I got some during the tour.

The good things I experienced were that I had freedom, I could eat at any restaurant I wanted, picking my own hotel (the Contiki hotel was a bus ride out of the city but I was staying a block off the Royal Mile). Seeing whatever site I wanted and lingering over the little weird things that caught my eye. Having already been to the city I already knew my way around. Free free time. The time where you've seen all the big sites and you don't mind spending time in a little wacky site or at the internet cafe, or wandering into random shops because you could.

I've always found traveling by myself a little lonely, but after doing a tour that feeling is heightened. The contrast of being around people 24/7 to being around only strangers is dramatic. The moral of the story - plan for the solo days at the beginning of a trip. I should take my own advice. I planned to spend a day alone pre-cruise, but 2 days post-cruise in Barcelona. But this did work out better as I did meet some people on my cruise who were also staying longer.

Photo of the Week: Italy

2011-07-25T06:02:00.003-04:00

Rome, Italy - The Colosseum

Barcelona Hotels

2011-07-20T06:54:00.001-04:00

Trying to pick a hotel for my pre and post cruise stay in Barcelona was an exercise in torturing myself. As much as I love to plan travel, I also obsess about every little detail. I ended up staying at different hotels before and after my cruise, mostly because I couldn't made a decision.

How I chose the hotels was I started with a search on internet for where other cruise passengers were staying in Barcelona, this brought me mostly to Cruisecritic.com, I also got some leads from friends and on Twitter. I made a list of all the hotels, checked their prices (I didn't want to spend more then $200 a night) and locations. I eliminated anything too far from Las Ramblas (tourist center) and over $200 a night. Then I went to Trip Advisor. Most places had good ratings, but I was able to elimiate a few with Trip Advisor. I do not go by one or two reviews, but try to get an overall view, I specifically looked at comments from people who were traveling by themselves as these travelers would have similar concerns as I did - safety.

Taxi to and from these hotels and the port was 10-12 euro.

I eventually decided on Hotel Continental (3 Stars) and Hotel Colon (4 Stars). Both hotels were nice, and suited my needs just fine. The Colon was the nicer of the two, but it was also the better rated and more expensive hotel. I would happily stay at either hotel again if I was visiting Barcelona.

Hotel Colon

The Hotel Colon is located in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, a 5 minute walk from La Rambla. It's across the square from the Cathedral, it's a very nice location, quieter then Las Ramblas, but still lively. On Sundays there is a flea market in the square.

The service at the hotel was wonderful. When my taxi pulled up the doorman helped me out of the taxi and with getting my luggage up the steps to the front desk. The doormen did not speak much English, but enough and were always friendly and polite. At the front desk everyone spoke English and were very helpful. They took my luggage to a storage room since my room was not ready, and it magically appeared in my room when I returned that afternoon.

The room itself was decorated with flowery wallpaper and a matching chair. The bathroom had a full supply of toiletries, and included a hairdryer. The bed was comfortable and there was a flat screen TV, perfect for watching the end of the soccer match - Barcelona vs Manchester United - Barcelona won. My only complaint about the hotel is that even though they had wireless internet I couldn't get it to work reliably on my Ipad, fortunately I wasn't there enough to bother figureing out what the problem was.. Breakfast at the hotel was expensive, but there was a bakery and a Starbucks across the street.

Hotel Colon Bathroom

The Hotel Continenetal was located at the Plaza Catalunya end of La Ramblas (the nicer end of La Ramblas), about a block from Plaza Catalunya. This hotel was convenient if you want to take the Aerobus from the airport. I taxi will cost 30-40 euro. The hotel shares a building with a hostel, though I never saw anyone go to the hostel, nor did it seem to bring down the hotel. I would describe this as a Rick Steves special (it is a Rick Steves recommendation). A 3 star tourist hotel - basic, clean hotel in a touristy location at a good price, but nothing fancy.

Hotel Continental

The staff was very friendly and helpful, they all spoke English. The hotel offered complimentary internet which worked, and had a couple computers for guests to use. There was a 24 hour buffet and a seating area with TV. The only food I ate was bread and cereal, the rest of the food didn't look very appealling. They also had free beer, wine and soda and I hear the beer was good. The hotel overlooks Las Ramblas and has a balcony in the public area for those who do not have a balcony in their own room.

The room was small - by hotel standards, not by cruise ship standards, but it was a single room with a full size bed. It had ugly wallpaper, a pink bedspread, and the furniture was Rubbermaid plastic drawer units with nice tops. The bathroom was old and could use some sprucing up but it was clean. All the towels were pink, matching the hotel's pink theme. The bath tub was very high (typical in European hotels in my experience) and my friend with bad knees did struggle getting in and out of the tub. I couldn't get the air conditioning to work, it was warm there, but not hot so I didn't even bother asking the front desk about it.

Rubbermaid Dresser

Bathroom at Hotel Continenetal

Overall both hotels were very good and I would happily stay at either one. Hotel Colon was a nicer hotel, it had a great price for the services offered so I would say that was a better value (depending on what you value). The Hotel Continental attracts a lot of cruisers, so if you're taking a cruise it might be a nice place to stay as you may run into other cruisers during your stay. If you're looking for a more relaxing beach type stay in Barcelona then I would consider staying in the Barcelonetta area by the beach, it's a lovely area.

Photo of the Week: Spain

2011-07-18T06:58:00.002-04:00

Barcelona, Spain - Cathedral in the gothic quarter

Photo of the Week: Scotland

2011-07-11T06:49:00.000-04:00

Scotland - Glenlivet Distillery

Haggis: When in Rome, do as the Roman's do!

2011-07-08T07:09:00.001-04:00

My appologies for not posting much lately. My mother's recovery has been very slow and has left me little free time. I'm starting to get myself organized and starting to do some normal things again. I may still miss posting occasionally, but I have started some posts, they just need finishing and some photos.

I have another issue which may cause some delays. This blog is hosted on Blogger, which is owned by Google. There are rumors that Google will be rebranding blogger, which worries me that they'll be changing blogger too. I have been considering moving the blog to Wordpress, which I'm not researching. I've heard some good stories and some bad stories about this type of move. If everything goes as easily as it could go, you'll probably just notice a new face to the blog. If things go badly, who knows what will happen.

On with the post...

I am not in any way shape or form an adventuresome eater. I would be happy eating a cheeseburger for dinner every night if it meant I didn't have to try something new and weird. Yet, when I travel I tend to live a little more dangerously: escargo, foie gras, etc. Well on my trip to Scotland I tried, yes, Haggis. Hey, when in Rome do as the Roman's do!

I have to say, it actually tasted pretty good. The only problem, I knew what was in it. Gross parts of sheep! I'll spare you the details and let you look it up for yourselves. It was actually so good that I continued to try it 2 or 3 times, but in the end, I couldn't get past the mental picture of what was in it and didn't eat much. They do make vegetarian haggis though, I think maybe I should have tried that, it obviously doesn't have any gross sheep parts in it, and based on the taste it would be quite edable. Maybe next time.

So when in Scotland, eat Haggis! And if you like your sheep alive and saying bhhhhaaaaa, then try the vegetarian version.

Photo of the Week: New York

2011-07-04T07:06:00.001-04:00

From: New York, NY
Happy 4th of July!

Photo of the Week: Barcleona

2011-06-27T07:02:00.000-04:00

From: Plaza Catalonia, Barcelona
I like the mix of the protesters and tents and the tourists and their busses, living in harmony.

When things go awry at home...

2011-06-16T07:16:00.001-04:00

Last week I came home from my NCL cruise to a not so pleasant surprise, my mom got an infection in her hip replacement and had the hip removed. My family did not call me while I was away. There was nothing I could do anyway, except spend my vacation worrying. I'm fine with their decision. They did call me the night before I flew home to let me know, though they did down play my mother's condition.

My family was in a tough spot. My Mom's condition was pretty serious, but what was I going to do about it? Worry? Instead I was just a little anxious to get home that last night and on the 8 hour flight home.

When I got home I found out how bad she was. She'll be on IV antibiotics for 6-8 weeks then she can have her hip replaced. She will only be walking enough to get herself to the bathroom and in and out of a wheel chair. The only upside is that they say when you get the hip replaced you heal and get moving very fast.

As for me, my first stop after landing at home was the hospital, I didn't stay too long, but it was good to see Mom with my own eyes. And although physically she's not doing well, her spirits are quite high. I spent the next two days at the hospital helping her. I'm slowly getting everything put away from my trip, going through my mail, but the grocery store is a challenge and even my nephews are wondering where the food was. You know things are bad when going to work feels good, feels like you're getting back into your old routine.

The experience with my Mom has made me really appreciate the little things. That's helped me feel more relaxed during this stressful time. Although I'm glad my family did not call me when Mom got sick. I am glad they called me before I came home. I couldn't even imagine if I had gotten off the plane expecting to go to get some food and discuss my trip with my family, but was instead ushered to the hospital.

Keep my Mom in your prayers and don't be upset if I miss a post.

Oh, and don't forget June 18th is the last day to enter for my book giveaway.

Photo of the Week: Scotland

2011-06-14T07:35:00.000-04:00

From: Edinburgh, Scotland - Camera Obscura

Book Review and a Giveaway - The Art of Travel

2011-06-07T06:41:00.001-04:00

I recently read the book The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton. This is national best seller, well rated, everyone loves it - except me. Ok, I'm sure there are some others.

The book is extremely well written, and explores some different countries from different angles. I think reading the book made my own writting better. But, the book bored me to tears, it's one of the few books that I didn't bother finishing. I would read a page and then 3 pages later find my mind wandering to my grocery list. How sad is that?

But instead of writing a long post bashing the book and then giving it away as a failure, I decided to make it an opportunity. I've decided to give the book away to one of my readers, free. I'm hoping the lucky recipient will actually enjoy the book as many others have.

Here is how to enter:
email me with your name and email address at thetravelinggiraffe(at)gmail(dot)com by 2PM on June 18, 2011

Once all the entries have been received I will assign each person a number and then use Random.com to pick a number. I will then contact the winner via email to get their mailing address and ship the book out the following week using the US Postal Service.

Rules (I'm making this up as I go):
If you aren't willing to give me your address, that's fine. But, I can't ship to you if you don't give me your address.
I would love to hear back from the winner about what they thought of the book, but if I don't that's ok. I promise I wont become a stalker.
I will ship Internationally, but it will be the cheapest method possible, probably a snail in a row boat.

Photo of the Week: New York

2011-06-05T06:12:00.001-04:00

Looking up inside the Statue of Liberty, New York, NY

Photo of the Week: Hawaii

2011-05-30T05:52:00.002-04:00

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - Arizona Memorial

I will be taking off of posting for the rest of the week. I will be back next week with a giveaway, my first! After that I will be back with my regular posting about trips. Happy Memorial Day!

@Travelingiraffe on Twitter

Book Review: Crash Course Getting A Job On A Cruise Ship

2011-05-26T09:07:00.011-04:00

I recently got an opportunity to review the new Ebook: Crash Course Getting A Job On A Cruise Ship.

It's not my usual type of book that I would review, or read, but I have to admit I have often dreamed of working on a cruise ship. Of course I often choose to believe that I would get a big cabin, days off to lay by the pool, someone to serve me. Occasionally I will consider the reality - working 7 days a week for 4-8 months and not seeing my family in that time. Hmmm, not seeing my family? Just kidding! I do often think about my retirement and what types of jobs I would like, and with the right job, I might like working on a cruise ship and really wouldn't know where to get started in getting a job.

So then came this Ebook in my email box. This is an abbreviated copy of a larger book, Work On Board Cruise Ships by the Wandering Earl. The Crash Course Getting A Job On A Cruise Ship costs $10, compared to the full book costing $37.

So did I like the book? Yes. It was an easy read, important to me for an ebook. The book also talks about the different positions on the cruise ship, though not in too much detail. It talks about what life on board is like - so how is the food? Then the book goes into how to find jobs, applying and what to do when you actually get a job. It's tailored for working for a cruise line, but as someone who has worked for many years and has worked in different offices within a company (each time applying for a different position), I recognize a lot of good tips for making yourself stand out. In a competitive job market, getting your resume to stand out is very important.

The one thing that really jumped out at me as missing from the book - interview tips. But, that is in the longer version of the book.

My thought is that if you're considering a job on a cruise ship then $10 for this Ebook would be a good investment. If you REALLY want a job on a cruise ship or don't have much experience with applying for jobs, then buy this Ebook, learn some tips and then use the coupon code at the back of the book for a reduced rate on the full version of the book.

Photo of the Week: Scotland

2011-05-23T05:59:00.002-04:00

Sunrise over Edinburgh, Scotland

Just a reminder, you can find me on Twitter @Travelingiraffe

Randomly interesting things to me

2011-05-20T06:33:00.001-04:00

Contiki has announced South America as a destination. Hmmm, Iguza Falls and Machu Pichu are calling my name. Sadly, I'm turning 35 this year so I don't know if I'll have a chance to take one of these tours, or any more tours with Contiki for that matter :(

The May 1 episode of Amazing Race - how awesome - they got dropped on the Matterhorn and had to either rescue someone by rappelling or dig a dummy out of the snow. Ok, I think it was much more awesome to watch someone do it while laying on my couch then it would be to actually do it. Have I mentioned I don't like the cold?

My Brother-In-Law who doesn't have a clue about travel talks to me about travel as though he knows stuff. The guy couldn't figure out how to get his cruise documents and it was a week before the cruise. Actually, I don't think it even occurred to him that he needed them. But he and my sister did enjoy the cruise, they were on the Norwegian Gem for a 1 night cruise. They said there was every walk of life on the cruise - solo passengers, families with young kids, bachelor and bachelorette parties - you name it, it was there.

Jetblue's website - when you track a flight you can actually pull up a map that shows where the plane is over the United States, I thought that was cool! My other sister thought it was stalkerish.

In Rick Steves' latest podcast (#246) his guest said something interesting. He was discussing the European Union and freedom. He said American's think of "freedom to..." (bare arms, press, speech, etc). Europeans think of "freedom from..." (war, starving, etc). I thought that was an interesting distinction. I'm not sure how true it is, but it does it certainly made me think of what I value and how I view it.

Photo of the Week: England

2011-05-16T05:47:00.002-04:00

Westminster Abbey, London, England

Giraffe, The Restaurant

2011-05-13T06:59:00.000-04:00

About a year before I went to London my friend mentioned that there were "giraffes everywhere" in London - he was referring to the restaurant chain, Giraffe. I was instantly intrigued and quickly fell in love with Giddy the Giraffe.

I managed to visit 3 different Giraffe's when I was in London: Southbank Center, Russell Square (which is not called Russell Square but is near there), and Heathrow.

It's a cute little cafe type of restaurant with a long menu of English food - I didn't have any great meals there, the menu had a lot of foods that just didn't appeal to me. The food itself was good, but not great. I also didn't get to see Giddy. But the locations were great - Southbank center is a short walk from the London Eye and in a nice shopping/eating mecca where you could tell it was more of a local place then a tourist place. The one near Russell Square was in a pedestrian mall with other restaurants and shops - another great location that doesn't scream tourist.

But the true highlight was when I was at Heathrow and decided to get a smoothie - it was delicious! I drink a lot of smoothies and this one was really really good. I'm sorry I hadn't gotten one on my previous trips as I probably would have had a better opinion of the restaurant.

Overall, I wouldn't suggest anyone run there, I would check out the menu and if you see something that intersts you, then go. If nothing interests you on the menu, go to a pub and get fish and chips. But if you love giraffes, like me, then go, if nothing else the theme is fun.

Photo of the Week: France

2011-05-09T05:55:00.001-04:00

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Photo of the Week: Washington DC

2011-05-02T06:15:00.000-04:00

Washington Monument on a sunny day