Travel the World: When to Splurge. When to Scrimp, And How to Return Safely to Home Sweet Home Here in Tyler!
Travel the World: When to Splurge. When to Scrimp, And How
to Return Safely to Home Sweet Home Here in Tyler!
- Commend the hotel manager early in the stay…they may send you complimentary flowers, champagne or chocolates. Hotel managers always hear the negatives, so if the room and service are commendable, do it immediately—you may even get a complimentary stay.
- Take a travel size of Metamucil. We need fiber and in traveling, you might not eat so much salads and such; and too much bread and cheese. Just take a little bit of Metamucil with bottled water at night and all will be well.
- Pack a tiny fan—helps you sleep.
- When traveling, just go for a one meal sort of plan. A decent breakfast, fruit and crackers at lunch and a reasonable meal—small portions are key—good to try the food but why stash it away as if hibernating for winter. Moderation is the key—and don’t eat tomatoes in any country for any reason. Just don’t!
- Take a stash of tip money…$1 bills are cool; but $2 bills are cooler….and I look like the guy (Jefferson) on the $2 bill…I mean exactly like him….I have a realistic self evaluation of appearance, so it always makes anyone in any country laugh and I get away with giving them a cheap tip. Don’t even try to tip in Japan; it is considered rude. And, if you tip in Canada, expecdt a handshake in return….and keep that hand sanitizer near by. Other good tips are the gold $1 dollar coins, or the big Eisenhower dollars. That one with Hiwaatha didn’t catch on…but I have often gone with a wad of $1 bills and come home with the same. Other countires used to love our dollars, then they love the Euros and now they are back to loving our dollars.
- Always pack a large, huge size of aerosol spray sanitizer….keep it at the top of your suitcase and before you do ANYTHING in the hotel room, spray the bedspread, phone, TV remote, all door knobs. Completely gas fog the bathroom and all lamps that have to be turned on and switches…do this first….and all is well. Anyone who tells you different is an alien. Don’t trust them.
- Baby oil and baby powder….pack these even if you leave the baby at home. Baby powder is great for those long plane rides on leatherish seats with no ventilation; baby oil is great for moisturizing after long flights; can serve as a hair conditioner—even a styling gel—and what a great bath at the end of the day with a few squirts of baby oil.
- If you are checking in—especially single females—no NOT let the desk clerk say your room aloud—do the universal symbol of ‘Shhh’ when they hand you the key and start giving directions. They should know better but they don’t. No one around should know your room number. If you are traveling in a group, don’t give anyone your room number….I’ve told folks to just call the front desk and ask for my name—one time I just had to tell this pushy fellow traveler, “Hey, it’s none of your business.” And it is not. For safety sakes—for privacy—and heck, just for the good of the order, do NOT give out your hotel room to anyone. Well, unless you have plans to ‘hook up’ and gosh, no judgment, but….really?
- Take clothes you were going to donate and leave in the hotel room as you come home. Those shirts with a little bit a bleach stain; the undies with the elasticity out of the waistband or ‘hole-y’ ones; the too tight jeans that you wear unbuttoned with an oversized shirt covering that little bit of muffin top. I have told folks this for twenty years—keep a box of ‘travel clothes’ and leave in your room with a note to housekeeping….”I am leaving these clothes on purpose. Please use or give them away…and sign it…” otherwise, as in Japan, the hotel manager might have them cleaned, pressed, and ship overnight back to the United States to you. But, here’s the logic. When traveling, who are you dressing to impress? People you will never see again? And you will want to purchase souvenirs along the way….so lessening the clothes you packed, will make room for those you BUY on the trip. My mom swears dirty clothes are heavier than clean clothes. I can’t stand the thought of carrying dirty clothes with me in my suitcase for, say a three week trip. Jeans can be worn over and over…and then tossed. Go to Goodwill and stock up on clothes….the trouble with that is that I fall in love with the clothes I buy at Goodwill and hate to leave them. But, at the same time, after wearing the same clothes over and over on a trip, it is very easy to let them go! The housekeepers love to get American Jeans—in some countries, just having t shirts with American designs are in much demand. I went to Europe for the Christmas kindle markets, and bought a letter jacket at Goodwill for like $1.99. It was “Pedro’s’ on the embroiderery so everyone on the trip called me “Pedro”. I bought a fine top shelf suit in _____________ and traded the Texas used letter jacket and the employee at the men’s store, gave me her employee discount. I’m finding now at thrift shops, old letter jackets are the ‘rage’ in fashion….Pedro, if you only knew what you started.
- The bad thing is that you will be photographed in old clothes and some traveler once told me about my theory in a better than thou attitude, “Well, when I travel, I like to look my best.” Ugh. That is your BEST? I unfriended on Facebook immediately.
- But, something is catching on. With being green the upscale process, a conference I attended recently asked that you bring your business attire for the conference, suits, ladies handbags, briefcases, and wear them until the conclusion of the conference. On the last day, we wore jeans and souvenir t shirts, and donated all of our slightly used business attire for _______________. We were asked to write notes of encouragement and place them in our suits and briefcases. Here is the weird part. I didn’t know in advance of this plan (I didn’t pay attention to my pre conference materials); but I had brought suits, ties, dress suits, London Fog overcoat…all that I had planned to donate to the housekeeper…..but now I had somehow seem my ideas on a large scale…and this is the oddest part….for some weird reason I had packed a huge handful of stationery cards….I had no one in mind at the time of who I would be sending them to but was able to write anonymous notes of encouragement with my top name clothes for those making a change in their lives and preparing for interviews.
- Leave in your suitcase: a multi plug extension for charging your phone, computer, Kindle, Ipad…there is a hotel conspiracy to never have enough outlets and to hide them in contortionist only places for reaching. A small flashlight—keep by your bedside. A door stop—yeah, those plastic kinds that are hard to find…put it at your hotel door—just in case.
- Axe…OK, it has no effect on anti-perspiring, but it does help refresh clothes, eliminates the need for perfume, and acts like a room deodorizer.
- Don’t pack expensive perfumes or colognes….this are hard to do. If you have lots of samples from the perfume counter, pack those. But, here’s the bad thing….you can pack a $100 bottle of perfume and somehow in high altitudes, the bottle empties….your toiletry bag smells great; you stink. And, truly if you are planning on traveling with a group tour, the less the fragrance the more friends you will find on the journey.
- Hand sanitizer….yep, I love hand sanitizer—not the greasy hand sanitizing lotion. They have some fragrance; pack your own hand wipes (anti-bacterial well of course); and keep a role of personal paper with you always on a trip. No more details needed.
- Collections: I’ve collected key chains from all over the world. Refrigerator magnets. Bells. Spoons. Shot glasses. Decks of cards. But the only collection I have found to be useful? Soccer (futbol) shirts from all the countries I’ve visited. I buy their national team as soon as I enter a country. Wear it and you will be treated like royalty…I’ve been brought to the front of the line, was escorted to the plane in leaving a country the day before war broke out; personal attention, songs, and so many freebies by wearing soccer shirts…they think it is funny that a man from Texas is wearing a Morocco national futbol team or that I look like some movie star in Egypt….but hey, use what you can…and I have a closet full of cooler than cool soccer shirts which are perfect for Texas winter wear. The best souvenir collection ever—doesn’t clutter the fridge or collect dust on a shelf….and snow globes notoriously break on return trips and you have glitter water all over your suitcase when you get home.
- Always have flip flops, scissors (NOT in carry on!), tweezers, band aids
- Always steal the toilet tissue…it will help in packing breakables and, well, you can never have enough.
- Tip your housekeeper on the FIRST day—you will always get great service.
- If order room service, always ask for extra ketchup, a bucket of ice and pitcher of water….
- Back packs…yep, they are great….even those little stringed Nike packs—great for day excursions.
- Gadgets and Gizmos. Well, you have them, so it would be silly not to use them on trips. But, if you (like me) have a tendency to lose things, don’t bother. I used to take the cheapest throwaway cameras after losing so many great cameras. I have a fold up walking cane since I have left all my expensive ones all over the world. I did leave my eyeglasses in Croatia and they were mailed to me; and I left my Iphone in cab in New York City and the New Yorker brought them to my hotel, the New Yorker and would NOT accept a $100 ‘reward’. I Heart New Yorkers.
- Get instant coffee for your room….run the water very hot in the sink and make your own coffee. Or pack a mini coffee maker. You can always check online to see if the hotel has in room coffee. If instant coffee is bitter and rustic, you can pack coffee flavoring that doesn’t need refrigeration. Plain saltines and Vanilla wafers—great to pack for in room snacking and digestive solutions.
- Novels and books to read on trips. Who are you kidding? If anything, bring pulp reading. Also, overseas, tour guides LOVE American gossip magazines….bring a few and make buddies with the tour guides.
- Travel journals…the tour guides lecture and lecture and by the time you get back to the bus, you will forget it all. I keep a travel journal of funny things that are said; that’s all that anyone really cares about…goofy stuff. I went once on a 14 countries in 21 days trip and we called it our “ABC” tour—Another Bloody Cathedral. I have been in over 100 countries and I think John the Baptist’s bones were claimed by every cathedral in every country.
- Picasa—put your photos on Picasa. NOT Kodak---they make everyone who wants to view your photos their software and send sales pitches all the time….
- BlogSpot…if you really want to create a travel blog but no one will ever read every word of it or look at pictures.
- Pictures without people are worthless. Get someone in the photo and stop backing up so far…get up close to take photos of people not that old timey full version….with sidewalk foreground and sky background and barely visible full view of people. Get up close enough to see their nose hairs.
- Calomine lotion.
- Look down.
21
Things Every Traveler Wishes They Owned
I just want a comfy pair of sweatpants I
can wear on a plane. posted on January 26, 2014 at
9:00am EST
Ashley Perez BuzzFeed Staff posted
about 2 weeks ago
3K
633
I
know, right? Now tell your friends!
21
Things Every Traveler Wishes They Owned
Ashley
Perez
1. A gold foil scratch
map to mark all their adventures ($20).
2. A chalk map works too
($60).
3. Travel-themed shadow
box for all of their loose tickets ($30).
4. Or, alternatively, a
travel stub diary ($15).
5. Personalized leather
passport wallet ($35+).
6. A really sweet
made-for-travel journal ($18).
7. Printed Instagram
books for all their travel memories ($12–$25).
Idea: Make them a mini-book of all their
friends and family, so they always feel close to home when they’re traveling.
8. Brass compass in case
their smartphone stops working ($39).
9. Personalized state
necklace to remind them of home ($34+).
10. Scarf with hidden
pocket for valuables and contraband ($37+).
11. Airport code-inspired
pillows ($19).
12. Creative luggage tag
to keep thieves away from your stuff ($10).
13. Hooded travel pillow
to block out the world/plane ($25).
Nasty
Gal
14. Travel toothbrush
sanitizer to avoid the yuck ($29).
VIOlight
/ Via amazon.com
15. A 4-in-1 lens
enhancement to bypass a fancy DSLR ($69).
16. Multi-outlet surge protector with USB chargers ($29). 16. Multi-outlet surge protector with USB chargers ($29).
17. A wearable iPhone
charger bracelet ($70).
18. A very necessary,
travel-size flask ($13).
19. Or even better,
disposable flasks ($9).
20. A socially acceptable
pair of sweatpants to travel in ($20–$50, but actually priceless).
21. And of course, a
ticket to anywhere — a whole lot of money, but let’s pretend it’s free.
Your Reaction?
Celebrating
Christmas at Europe’s Christkindl Markts—One of those adventures everyone
should make at least once
I wasn’t exactly sure why we were going where we were
going.
But, I knew enough to show up at Tyler Pounds Field at the
right time (whose idea was 5 a.m. flights anyway?). I love Tyler’s airport and having been in
airports, airstrips, and two flat pastures a cow-clearing flyovers before
landing— I certainly wish all airports were as traveler friendly as what we
have in Tyler.
Apparently, a group of travel friends who I met last year
during a once in a lifetime Nile cruise wanted to go to the Christmas Markets
across Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Hungary. I was told that everyone was given warm
mulled spiced wine and you walked around in the snow in ancient city plazas and
some palaces with booths filled with Christmas crafts, decorations and
gifts.
Some of that idea sounded enticing—warm wine served by the
Lions Club International at every little town in four countries; beautiful
architecture and I was told, “You haven’t seen Europe until you have visited
Vienna.”
I was hoping more for the Budapest “Shop Around the
Corner”—as a big time old-movie buff, I would like to see Jimmy Stewart in a
Budapest shop that sold everything anyone would want.
But, we were here to see the Christmas Markets—these huge
outdoor markets with hundreds of booths with Christmas-themed items.
According to a colleague in Dallas and someone with three
degrees in German, Lea Anne DeVega, told me, “The history of Christmas markets
goes back to the Late Middle Ages in the German speaking part of Europe. The
Dresden Christmas market, first held in 1434, is one of the oldest Christmas
markets. The Bautzen Christmas market was even older..., first being mentioned
in records in 1384. The Vienna "December market" was a kind of
forerunner of the Christmas market and dates back to 1294. The biggest one now
is in Nurnberg.”
“In many towns in Germany and Austria, Advent is usually
ushered in with the opening of the Christmas market or
"Weihnachtsmarkt". In southern Germany and Austria it is sometimes
called a "Christkind (e)(s)markt" (German language, literally meaning
"Christ child market"). Generally held in the town square and
adjacent pedestrian zones, the market sells food, drink, and seasonal items
from open-air stalls, accompanied by traditional singing and dancing. On opening
nights (and in some towns more often) onlookers welcome the
"Christkind", or boy Jesus, acted out by a local child.” The good buys are garnets, woodwork, crystal,
and puppets. (I haven’t found a big
demand for puppets.) Also, wooden bowls,
anything with an owl on it, and potpourri are other shopping 'to get'
items.
Every town’s Lions Club had a hot, mulled wine booth. Seems that they did great business and they
wanted pictures of me for their newsletter.
I kept telling them I was in Rotary but they told me that was ‘close
enough my friend.”
Since I knew I would most like purchase everyone’s
Christmas gift on this trip during Thanksgiving week, I packed only clothes
that I would leave in the hotel room. I love to throw away clothes on trips so
that my luggage is brought home with no dirty clothes: just newly purchased
souvenirs and gifts.
And traveling overseas during the Thanksgiving week has
become an annual trek for me; the day of getting out of the United States calls
for Job-like patience and the return day(s) to get back into the United States
are even more threatening to one’s religion.
But, overseas, Thanksgiving is a perfect time to travel. It is usually
the last group tour offered in the season for various tour companies so great
pricing is available—the tour guides are exhausted and just ready to “git ‘er
done”, so there isn’t a lot of all that history nonsense. I mean we forget all those dates and names by
the time you get back to the bus anyway.
Some tour guides train you on how to build the dang cathedral. I just want to know the spooky or gross
stories about it, use their WC and move onward.
Flying from Tyler to Munich is a long day and I was told I
would have a driver holding a placard with my name on it when I arrived. With that American tourist
I-am-better-than-you attitude and my Louis Vuitton carryon
luggage, I sauntered through the gauntlet of drivers—all with placards; none
with “Goddard”, “Gooderd”, “Gotter”, or anything in the neighborhood of my
name’s spelling. The worst, most humiliating
activity? Going BACK through the gauntlet one more time, no pride at all, UGH, a
VIP ‘re-do’---with a crazed look in my eye and a desperate hope for a ride.
I’m in Munich. I don’t speak the language. I don’t even like the Germans! I’ve been here before and absolutely hated
this country.
I called the limo company—a call which probably cost about
$300—and the lady in charge of disposition of drivers, looked over her list and
in that corny German speaking English accent said, “YOU do not exist!”. Well, in YOUR opinion perhaps. But, many people think I do exist.
So I dragged an overstuffed luggage piece with all
throwaway clothes in the snow and somehow used sign language to find a cabbie
who was totally angry that he would lose his place in the taxi line in the
airport to take me about two blocks to the airport hotel. I mean he said something about a shuttle and
some bad things about my parentage but I get so much in other countries by
playing ignorant, “I dun’t no what ter do!?” with kind of a cross-eyed stare
and swinging my arms—works great in all circumstances.
Hotel—found friends—back to airport’s train station—the
taxi driver called us something like Pirates and of course we confronted him
(safety in numbers and there were 13 from our Egypt group. We still are confused about why he would call
us ‘pirates’ and did not tip him at all.
We were on a mission to see the Old City’s Glockenspiel—the
time clock with mechanized dancers who come out twice a day—11 a.m. and 12
noon. It’s cold. There is no warm wine. We had time to climb the tower first and then
abruptly climbed back down and immediately hit the knit cap, scarf, and glove
store.
Heck it was in the 70’s in Tyler and now we were in the
2’s—2 degrees everywhere we went and I have no idea if that was Fahrenheit or
Celsius and I used to know the formula.
Celsius times five minus 32 degrees?
Is that it? Well, I went 13 days
and was never sure of the temperature.
The tour started the next day and we found out that we had
45 passengers for a 46 seat bus; that there were 13 countries of tourists in
our group; that not everyone spoke English; that our tour guide, Tunde, was the
most beautiful Eastern European Uber Hottie Model with an education equivalent
to our doctorate in History. And the
girl has some guns for biceps—she could pick up our entire big fat American
luggage with one hand and took off to load in the bus. I got in the habit of meeting her early and
helping load the luggage with her and our Italian drive Maurio from Milano—Italian
bus drivers are the best in the world—just do not look down when rounding
mountain curves or screeching in between traffic. But they are good and safe and skilled.
We loaded to see Nuremburg, which meant to me that movie,
LONG, LONG movie about war crimes trial. I remember Montgomery Clift, my all
time favorite actor should have won an Academy Award for his performance of a
simple man in the concentration camp and Judy Garland—a really fat Judy Garland
and seems she was a German woman and maybe she was bad then good, but her
acting was blind blowing—how could a talent like her NOT have an Oscar? Ok,
back to Nuremberg.
No, you cannot tour the courtroom of the war crimes
trials. We think there was a room in the
courthouse that continuously showed a documentary but I’ll just rent the movie
when I get home. We did some shopping in
Nuremburg but the Christmas booths were just slowly beginning to open up, so my
shopping was a continual hunt for John Grisham’s “The Confession” which I left
on the airplane from DFW. I wanted to
read it so badly because it is set in the Tyler area and I swear I can tell you
who that defense attorney and even that pastor are in real life. (Make it to page 16 and you are hooked on
the book and I felt completely lost with NO English versions.) A friend said, “Larry, look! A six-story
bookstore!” But everyone was leaving
here in 3 minutes—I told him I could make it.
No elevators, no escalators, and I have a bum ankle from a twenty-year
old accident---I hollered at a clerk “DO YOU HAVE BOOKS IN ENGLISH??”
“Fifth Floor”…she replied.
Of course it was on the fifth floor! My luck is consistent. And, the store was crowded with shoppers and
all I could do was a juke and jive running back pathway up to the fifth floor
and occasionally said ‘pardon me’ over and over. They quit asking me early on “Speaken de
Deutchs?” when I said multiple syllable words like “PAR-de-ON ME-eah
PLUH-le-us”….running, well more like limping/running, with my bum leg and ankle
up five flights of stairs….panting….English….pant…pant..English
books….pant…puhaleeze….”
“Right over there,” said the efficient German vixen with
the pixie hair cut and pointed to a small section on HOW TO SPEAK ENGLISH—and
yes, there were several copies of English for Dummies. No Fiction.
No night time reading to calm me down.
I was so crazed and wet and cold at this point that I just shuddered and
began the marathon back to where my friends were congregating. I hate to be last to make the group and have
horrible anxiety about that, so I briefly stopped to take a Xanax before I got
to my group, standing outside a store called “WormWorld”. I told them my story, we all had a laugh and
then we randomly asked this guy in the crowd to take our photo in front of the
WormLand Store sign, and he was my doppelganger….is that what that is? Your twin you’ve never met? Well, mine is a guy who walks in front of
WormWorld and the sixth floor bookstore with the tiny section of “How to Speak
English”. No John Grisham books, just
“English for Dummies” books.
We were warned about the Czech Republic being
unfriendly. We were told to see a smile
in Czech Republic, you must try speaking their language and we took a brief
conversational language course. The only
thing I could remember was that “Cheers” when you are drinking sounds like
“Eggs Shake ‘N Bake”. I could remember
that and used it often and saw many smiles.
The trouble with the
Czech is that they wanted freedom, not communism. But someone forgot to tell them that with
communism, you are guaranteed a place to live and a job. In a democracy, nothing is guaranteed except
hard work will get you a place to live and a job. Prague is OK. The architecture looks like is 1000 years
old, but in actuality it is only about 150 years old.
But, Czech folks are depressing. And obviously depressed. They wanted freedom but at the cost of
security.
In Prague, tourists must purchase an excessive amount of
life and accident insurance and register with the police department. Here is Prague by the numbers:
· Over 100 television stations. 0
number of good ones.
· $13 Euro for a hamburger basket with a dirty martini.
· 4 years—average age of automobiles on the road—democratic free market
system must be working for some.
·
Anyway way you count it: cold, drab, gray.
In Austria, Salzburg (named for its Salt Mines—who knew?)
was a great place—with the “Sound of Music” tour of sites in the film and the
best Christmas Market of any of the MANY we toured.
Vienna must be on the top five lists of most beautiful
cities in the world. Hearing music at the Opera House was a life experience,
seeing the Schonbrunn Palace where Marie Antoinette was born (2,000 rooms!)
cannot be describe in words, and again, the buildings are beautiful, shopping wonderful
(lots of Christmas Markets) and the friendly people were everywhere.
Hungary is a party place.
Lots of good food, liquor shots, beer, dancing, are abundant. Budapest is actually two cities, separate by
the Danube. I saw no red poisonous sludge that CNN kept warning us would kill
us. It is an old city—there was a
settlement here 2000 years before Christ.
Sixty five percent of the buildings in Budapest were destroyed during
World War II and the Marshall Plan rebuilt in the period of the buildings’ origins. I kept hearing Rococo and sometimes Gothic;
so I learned nothing about the period of style.
We heard many stories of the Ghetto in Budapest for the
Jewish encampment and I just cannot repeat; so atrocious. Can man be that cruel to mankind?
Return home proved my theory of first day/last day of every
trip are the horrendous days and you have to just be patient or medicated for
anxiety. Here are some of my notes from
the trip:
· Perhaps summer or spring would have been weather friendlier.
· Always carry Pepto, mild antibiotics and sore throat lozenges.
· Never leave hotel without a business card or EXACT address of
hotel.
· Do not leave good books in English on airplane seat. I did
find the Grisham book in Vienna in English.
· Waterproof galoshes are under rated.
· Forget carb free diet for travel.
· Be thankful for what we have in United States. No fussing,
no petty fights, no vindictiveness allowed. We got it good so hush about
anything negative. Be glad you are surrounded by good positive people who
care about others. Never raise your voice unless someone is about to have
physical harm...
· There are too many depressing sights and places in the world to
lose one precious moment of our blessings.
· Do not use a University toilet. You will be escorted to
the exit. Makes sense, security wise thinking back.
· Platz is Street.
· They think they invented Christmas here.
· When in doubt wear thermal underwear. You can take it off
in restroom stall if too hot.
· Smiling goes a long way in any country.
· Don’t check work emails from overseas.
· Madgar is Hungary’s real name.
· Sylvester Stallone owns a casino in Budapest. No lie.
· Wear clothes that you were going to give to Goodwill—shirt with
a bleach stain, pants with frayed pant legs, and throw away all the clothes
along the way. You make room for
souvenirs and gifts; you sort of tip the housekeeper with old Levi’s which are
priceless in some countries.
· I purchased a letter jacket with Jose’s name on it at
Goodwill. (I love that store so much I
call it ‘Greatwill’ and they donate to our school district’s foundation after
the tax free weekend—every business should!)
The letter jacket was a target of ridicule from the folks on the bus;
but was admired by the Europeans. It
seems American letter jackets have a high fashion element in Europe. So I traded by Goodwill purchased letter
jacket for a great employee discount in Vienna for a new suit, tie, coat, and
scarf. The clerk was going to give the
letter jacket to her boyfriend for Christmas; I think it cost me $3.99.
· Why would a cab driver call us a ‘bunch of pirates”? Mystery unsolved.
· A friend who knows German kept sending me this message on
Facebook which was translating into “Your dog is missing”. We were perplexed, mainly because I don’t
have a dog; and why would be my imaginary dog be going anywhere. One translator told me, “This message means
your dog is leaving you and moving to California.” I think the friend was telling me to have a
‘doggone’ good time in Europe and the message was lost in translation!
· The Autobahn is the highway in Germany with no speed limit. But the day we drove on it, it was icy and
snowy, so the fastest we could go was about 20 km. an hour.
· Germany borders nine countries.
· Marshall Plan paid to rebuild bombed buildings in their original
style, which in some cases was the 1500’s.
· There is an old city in Nuremburg which the Marshall Plan
generously rebuilt in 1500 style, but they did not rebuild the moat. I am thinking the Marshall Plan was overly
generous, but the locals sure do point out the lack of a moat frequently.
· Nuremburg. Before World
War II, there were 8,000 Jewish citizens.
After World War II, less than 100 Jewish citizens.
· We saw a small cemetery that holds the bodies of over 200,000
Jewish souls. I mean this little patch
of land, not even a city block, has at least 200,000 bodies buried. I wish I had not seen it. Haunts me to this day.
· Carrot oil lotion—great for dry ashy skin. Yes, carrot oil lotion but it doesn’t turn
you orange like a juicer with lots of carrots might.
· We were pulled over by the Hungarian police within one mile of
crossing the border and (there’s a computer on board monitoring length of
driving—two hour stops required) and the cops said we had driven 9 hours
without stopping and the fine would be $1500 E.
The bus drivers have to pay the penalty out of their own pockets. Listen, with my going every 15 minutes and
all the beers at lunch, there is NO way a bus could drive 9 hours with no
restroom on board. It was so foul and
felt sorry for bus driver. The tour
guide did talk them down from $1500 E to $200 E.
· Lots of huge wind turbines across Austria (we were in the flat
part) and Germany. I swear it looked
like Sweetwater, Texas, with all those windmills—the giant kind, not like in
Holland.
· “The Sound of Music Tour” just took the magic out of the film.
The tour guide, “this wasn’t that way”, “the children weren’t that way,” “the
father wasn’t that way.” I mean, come
on, let us believe in our Hollywood version, you fantasy buzz killer tour
guide.
· And, travel etiquette….well, that’s another article for another
time.
Gluehwein Recipe by Lea Anne Dickson DeVega
(three degrees in German and was my advisor for the tour)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 orange
- 10 whole cloves
- 1 (750 milliliter) bottle red wine
Directions
1. In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
2. Cut the orange in half, and squeeze the juice into the simmering
water. Push the cloves into the outside of the orange peel, and place peel in
the simmering water. Continue simmering for 30 minutes, until thick and syrupy.
3. Pour in the wine, and heat until steaming but not simmering.
Remove the clove-studded orange halves. Serve hot in mugs or glasses that have
been preheated in warm water (cold glasses will break.)
Here is the overview of the tour:
The
rediscovered jewels of Imperial Europe are the focus of this popular vacation,
starting and ending in Munich. Visit Prague’s Jewish Quarter, Charles Bridge,
and the Bohemian atmosphere of Town Hall Square with its world-famous
Astronomical Clock; in Budapest, experience Fishermen’s Bastion, the Royal Castle,
and a romantic promenade along the banks of the Danube. Add the sights, sounds,
and tastes of Vienna—maybe sit in a café with a piece of scrumptious
Sachertorte while listening to a legendary waltz. Other highlights are stops in
medieval Nuremberg and Mozart’s Salzburg, and enchanting natural scenery
including the Alps and Danube River Valley—amazing features of a marvelous
vacation. Special Departures: Mar 28th Departure - Easter WeekDec 5th & Dec
12th Departures include visits to Nuremberg, Prague, Vienna, Budapest and
Salzburg Christmas marketsDec 20th Departure - Christmas lunch in Budapest
|
Day 1: Sun. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.
Day 2: Mon. ARRIVE IN MUNICH AREA, GERMANY. Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free. Tonight, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers. Day 3: Tue. MUNICH AREA–NUREMBERG–PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Drive this morning on the Autobahn directly to Nuremberg for a visit. Next, east across the border into the Czech Republic. Evening arrival in Prague. (B) Day 4: Wed. PRAGUE. The wealth of gothic and baroque architecture perhaps inspired Dvorak and Smetana, both Prague composers. The included guided sightseeing features landmarks such as the the Jewish Quarter, Wenceslas Square, Charles Bridge, and the Old Town Square with the Astronomical Clock. (B,D) Day 5: Thu. PRAGUE–VIENNA, AUSTRIA. This morning, motor from Bohemia into Moravia and continue southeast for a few more miles before crossing into Austria. Arrive in Vienna to enjoy an afternoon of optional sightseeing. Start with a tour featuring the State Opera, Parliament, and the Town Hall. Stop for a stroll in Heroes’ Square to view the Hofburg. Finally, an inside visit of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Reserve some energy for an exciting evening optional excursion. (B) Day 6: Fri. VIENNA–BUDAPEST, HUNGARY. A morning to see some unexplored corner of this intriguing capital or maybe just to do some shopping down the Kärntnerstrasse. In the afternoon, head for the Hungarian border and, by way of Györ, you’ll reach Budapest for two overnights. (B) Day 7: Sat. BUDAPEST. Buda Castle dominates the twin cities of Buda and Pest, separated by the broad ribbon of the Danube. Heroes’ Square typifies the modern capital, while along the riverbank you find the old inns and wine cellars. Included sightseeing takes in the Parliament building, Margaret Island, Fishermen’s Bastion, the Royal Castle, and Matthias Coronation Church. (B) Day 8: Sun. BUDAPEST–SALZBURG AREA, AUSTRIA. Mid-morning departure from Budapest. Travel westwards across the border into Austria to enjoy more Alpine scenery before heading towards the Danube and finally to the Salzburg area for an overnight. (B,D) Day 9: Mon. SALZBURG AREA–MUNICH AREA, GERMANY. Morning at leisure in Salzburg or optional city tour. A comfortable and relatively short drive past Lake Chiemsee to the Munich area for an overnight. (B) Day 10: Tue. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE SAME DAY. (B) |
In foreign countries it’s natural to notice—and be enchanted
by—customs that are different from those practiced in America. But it’s quite
another thing to stand around slack-jawed in a perpetual state of confusion and
perspiration, insulting the locals with your words and actions (and short
pants). Here are 10 tips on how to blend into a foreign country a little bit
better, and avoid being an "ugly American."
1. Keyed Up
To conserve electricity, many European hotels require the insertion of a key card into a slot beside the door. Use it. Desk clerks are tired of fielding calls about why the lights or TV don't work. The upside: You won’t lose your key (at least when it’s in the room).
On the other hand, a traditional hotel may provide you with a heavy, old-fashioned tassel key (check out the quaint rows of key boxes behind the front desk). When heading out, it’s customary to leave the key with the desk clerk so the cleaning staff knows when the room is vacant.
So do it. Not only will the hotel staff treat you better, but the custom also relieves you of the burden of key-carrying, so you can stuff your pockets with the requisite crumpled maps, Chapstick, and the local currency.
2. Tipping Tips
The U.S. dollar is still considered the world’s default currency. But that doesn’t mean that you’re excused from using the local euros, pounds, bahts, schekels, or quetzales. One exception in which it is permissible to use dollars: when you absolutely have no foreign currency and you need to tip the driver or bellman. Better to give them a greenback or two and mumble an apology than to give them nothing at all.
But beware that over-tipping makes you seem like a rube. Research the local tipping customs before you leave for your trip, because gratuities are almost always lower outside of America. And if you think you’re getting taken, you probably are. The five-minute taxi ride where the meter is “broken” and you’re charged by the bag? Pay the fare and nothing more; you’re done.
1. Keyed Up
To conserve electricity, many European hotels require the insertion of a key card into a slot beside the door. Use it. Desk clerks are tired of fielding calls about why the lights or TV don't work. The upside: You won’t lose your key (at least when it’s in the room).
On the other hand, a traditional hotel may provide you with a heavy, old-fashioned tassel key (check out the quaint rows of key boxes behind the front desk). When heading out, it’s customary to leave the key with the desk clerk so the cleaning staff knows when the room is vacant.
So do it. Not only will the hotel staff treat you better, but the custom also relieves you of the burden of key-carrying, so you can stuff your pockets with the requisite crumpled maps, Chapstick, and the local currency.
2. Tipping Tips
The U.S. dollar is still considered the world’s default currency. But that doesn’t mean that you’re excused from using the local euros, pounds, bahts, schekels, or quetzales. One exception in which it is permissible to use dollars: when you absolutely have no foreign currency and you need to tip the driver or bellman. Better to give them a greenback or two and mumble an apology than to give them nothing at all.
But beware that over-tipping makes you seem like a rube. Research the local tipping customs before you leave for your trip, because gratuities are almost always lower outside of America. And if you think you’re getting taken, you probably are. The five-minute taxi ride where the meter is “broken” and you’re charged by the bag? Pay the fare and nothing more; you’re done.
3. Currency Concerns
Avoid getting into a cashless situation. Sweaty, panicked Americans waving useless dollar bills are just too cliché. The key is to diversify, with plastic and paper. Bring your credit cards. Be sure you’ve called your credit card companies to make them aware of your travel dates and destinations. (American Express says there’s no need to notify them; call them anyway.) Credit cards are widely accepted and give you the best exchange rate, though it is true that some train station kiosks won’t accept U.S. credit cards because they lack a security “chip.”
Back up plan: use your ATM card (you should also alert your bank beforehand). Most of the kinks of yesteryear have been worked out, and debit cards give you immediate access to local currency. Just be sure your PIN has only four digits.
Back up plan to the back-up plan: Have a few hundred dollars on you, in local currency, and a few hundred U.S. dollars before you leave the States. (In a pinch, hotels and storefront exchanges will get you what you need—albeit at a premium.) When you arrive home without having had to touch your stash of dollars, consider yourself a prudent and savvy traveler.
4. Bedding Down
In the U.S., hotels typically contain two full-sized or one larger bed (a king or a queen). In Europe, many guest rooms persist in the preference for two single mattresses, either separated or pushed together. Your “king” will have a seam. You may call the front desk and politely ask if there’s a room with a “true” king in it. If they don’t have one, you’ll have to deal with it.
In most of the world, a luxurious bed isn’t soft and plush; it’s usually firm, and heavily starched sheets are a mark of refinement. Your back, if not your delicate skin, will thank you. (Note that you’ll find the luxury standards you’re used to at North American-branded hotel chains like the Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton).
5. Hello, Gorgeous!
Unlike in the U.S. “Hi,” as a conversation starter, just won’t do, especially in Europe and Latin America. Locals may even be insulted. At a minimum, learn how to say “Good day,” “Good evening,” “Thank you,” and “Check, please” in the local language.
In Asia and the South Pacific, present your business card or credit card with two hands, and receive them in the same way. Remember, it's as if you're offering or receiving a gift, so when someone hands you something, it's good form to look at it and smile appreciatively for a few painful seconds.
6. Bathing Beauties
When he visited Los Angeles, the British painter David Hockney was struck by how much Americans bathed compared to Europeans. In America, frequent bathing is a luxury experience (or a wasteful one, depending on your perspective); in much of the rest of the world, it’s utilitarian necessity. The size of our respective bathrooms reflects this difference in philosophy.
Outside the U.S., tubs are usually smaller, and shower stalls are sometimes narrow capsules with plastic doors that even svelte people have trouble squeezing into.
So here’s a dose of reality in travel: If you favor a king-sized mattress topped with a feather mattress and a down-filled duvet, plus a deep-soaking Jacuzzi tub big enough for two, a separate, glassed-in shower with a marble bench seat and a second shower in the garden, there’s a great country you can visit: California.
7. “Taxi!”
In some cities, cabbies can be fined for picking up a fare in the middle of the street. You have to find your way to a marked taxi stand (ask a local), or in a pinch, head to a hotel lobby and have them hail or call a cab for you.
Unlike in the U.S., in many places it’s just not acceptable to eat in a taxi. If you have an open sandwich, an ice cream cone, or even an open bottle of juice or water on you, don’t expect the cabbie to let you inside. The car is their domain and they have to spend all day in it, and clean it. It’s a question of propriety. It would be like entering someone's home with a half-eaten hoagie in your hand.
8. The Impossible Dream
In America, hotel lobbies take the form of public meeting spaces. “Meet me under the clock [at New York’s Biltmore Hotel]” became a famous phrase that catches the spirit of hotels as glamorous yet democratic. Few Americans feel compelled to ask the doorman if it’s OK to wander through and look around.
Not so in most parts of the world, where you can expect to be asked if you’re a hotel guest and then sternly warned away with the phrase, “It’s not possible.” This was especially true in Paris, until the Four Seasons George V opened and welcomed everybody, daring the other luxury hotels in the city to follow suit. The best advice if you want to check things out is to do what you would do in any VIP area when you lack the proper credentials: Make sure you’re dressed appropriately, and stride in with purpose, as if you belong. It just might work. And if it doesn’t, don’t turn it into a conversation, and don’t make an ugly scene.
9. Modesty matters
According to Tom Ford, a gentleman doesn’t wear shorts in the city. If you’ve ever experienced summer in Latin America, Asia, or Europe, you know he has a point. But that’s not reflective of the way urban American men live, with scorching summers and people going from the gym to lunch to the park without always having time to stop home to consult the valet. And the influence of American casualness can be observed the world over.
Even the admonition to cover up before entering a sacred site has been relaxed. Typically, your knees and shoulders shouldn’t be exposed, but churches and other holy sites have gotten good at providing paper cover-ups and wraps.
So in general, your sartorial choices will make you less of an outcast than they used to. It’s best to pick up cues from your surroundings. Locals in Rome and Milan dress to kill, and even the poorest of the poor in Latin America are formally clothed in public, while those in Barcelona, Sydney, and even London are much more laid-back and diverse, clothing-wise.
10. They Say the Strangest Things
Some words are just going to land oddly on the ears of the American vacationer. Even “English” words can be jarring when spoken by a non-American speaker.
Don’t be surprised if, in the morning, a concierge or other hotel staffer cheerfully asks you what your “program” (or “programme”) is for the day. The term sounds very businesslike and Iron Curtain-like, as if you’re supposed to check in with the Ministry of Fun before you begin your holiday. But they just want to know what you want to do that day, and if you need any assistance in planning it.
And when a local offers you “typical” food or points out “typical” architecture, don’t scrunch up your nose. Americans think of “typical” as ordinary and mediocre. In the rest of the world, “typical” is high praise, the kind of cuisine or buildings intended to please discerning visitors. It means authentic rather than touristy.
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