Just Another Travel Blog

Nazi Nuremberg

2012-02-12T19:08:00.000-05:00

Every January, I have to go to Nuremberg, Germany and this year was no exception. For the week, they had us staying at the Hilton Hotel Nuremberg. One day, I had some spare time, so I wandered down to the former Nazi Party Rally Gounds and the famed Zeppelin Field and Tribune. This was the site of the annual Nazi Party rallies.

The area is now devoted to sport. The Zeppelin Field is divided into two soccer (football) pitches. The Tribune Stand is walled off by giant guardrails which were erected for the annual 200 Miles of Nuremberg car race, called the Norisring. The Tribune Stand has fallen on disrepair and sections are fenced off due to the risk of collapse.

On a cold January day when I visited, it was hard to envision the frenzied insanity of the Nazi rallies. Of course, its always hard to envision the frenzied masses of Nazis in the park. The more time I spend in Germany, the more I think about this and coming to Nuremberg every January allows me to ponder this.

Just days after coming back to the USA, I rented Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will), her documentary of the 1934 Nazi Party Rally in Nuremberg. After having just been there, it was fascinating to see how the rally grounds looked at the time.

The Tribune Stand at the Nazi Rally Grounds

Atop the Tribune Stand Looking Down at the Rally Grounds

Hilton Nuremberg, Germany

2012-01-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

On this trip, we stayed at the Hilton Nuremberg, which is a good sized, business-class hotel. It sits about 15-20 minutes outside of downtown near the HQ of the local football club (1. FC Nuremberg). The hotel has a huge gym (cardio only; no weights), including a pool. It also has the most expensive WiFi of any business hotel I've ever seen (Euro 17). The hotel has a heavy concrete construction, so it is very quiet. Unfortunately, there is a waste water drain in the bathroom floor, which can smell (both in my room and in a colleague’s room). But the hotel is really in the middle of nowhere from a tourist perspective.

This hotel is a long way from downtown Nuremberg - a very long way. To get into Nuremberg, it is a €15 cab ride, or you can take the train. The train costs €2.40 for a one way or €5.30 for a two-day pass. The downside to the train is the frequency - 3 trains per hour during the week and only 3 trains per two hours on the weekend.

For my job, the Hilton was a good space for meetings. We were able to get a group of 200 executives together. But, the bad news was that there wasn't enough near the hotel for those who wanted to go out.

As a Hilton HHonors Gold Member, I've stayed at Hilton's around the world, but this hotel was disappointing.

My Room at the Hilton Nuremberg

View from my room at the Hilton Nuremberg

The Congress Hall in Nuremberg as viewed from the roof of the Hilton Nuremberg

Sunglasses in Germany

2012-01-16T20:19:00.000-05:00

Every January, I travel to Nuremberg, Germany for business. As I was leaving the USA, I had a bit of a panic – I couldn’t find my sunglasses. I was running around the house and I tore my car apart. After nearly an hour, I finally found them.

Of course, this was ridiculous and I should have known better. I've been to Germany many times. Sunshine in Germany is like Santa Claus - some folks believe in it and some people claim to see it, but it is elusive. I mean, this is "Gray Germany." Irony comes to mind. I scramble to find sunglasses and it's cold, raining and the sun won't shine for a whole week.

Dinning in Chicago

2012-01-14T21:04:00.000-05:00

I recently had a business trip to Chicago, where I go several times a year. Chicago is a great restaurant town!

I started my culinary tour outside of downtown in the Irving Park neighborhood at a classic Italian establishment called Sabatino’s. This place is pretty good on the food, pretty poor on the service. The pizza bread starter was excellent. I started with a pumpkin and shrimp soup that was rather eclectic – the soup was good, but the shrimp was random. The salad was good, although had way too much dressing on it. For my entrée, I had the gnocchi with meat sauce, which was excellent. However, the service from our Polish waitress was OK. She really kept trying to rush us so she could turn the table. She literally tried to take our order five different times. Seriously? Calm the F’ down. It was like she thought Sabatino’s should be a fast food joint. I’m glad my friends in Chicago took me here to get out of downtown, but it wouldn’t be a place I’d repeat going.

Next up was the modern take on a Brazilian steakhouse – Zed451. Now, I’ve been to Zed451 before and have absolutely loved it. This place is amazing. You start with a very upscale salad bar, but then they bring around nearly a dozen different kinds of meat on spits. Eating at Zed451 is absolutely one of the highlights of my business trips to Chicago.

Bin 36 has generated some buzz in Chicago and came highly recommended. Near the end of our trip, my company rented out the upstairs party space at Bin 36. It was good, but certainly not noteworthy in a town of great restaurants. The salad with greens and blue cheese and apples had almost no dressing on it. My steak, which I had requested medium came out like a hockey puck (double well done) – it was way, way over cooked. The chocolate bombe dessert was the only thing we had that was worth it. On top of it all, the service was uninspired. Some places can accommodate groups and some can’t. Bin 36 has a decent space, but they just can’t execute. Overall, this was my least favorite meal of the entire trip.

On the final night, we had dinner in a private room upstairs at Fleming’s Steakhouse. Fleming’s is nothing special and there are locations all across the country. And yet, it is absolutely special – succulent steaks and memorable wines make this place a favorite. They put together a delightful pre-fix menu for our small group and it was a first-rate experience. In a pinch, you can count on Fleming’s to deliver.

Westminster Abbey, London

2012-01-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

Anyone who's seen a royal wedding or funeral can't help but be intrigued by the grandeur of Westminster Abbey. Recently, I've done some genealogy and discovered that I am descended from a King of England who is buried in the Abbey, so there was an additional layer of intrigue for me. I took advantage of the opportunity to visit the enormous church twice on my quick trip through London.

My first trip to the Abbey was on a Sunday so it wasn't open to visitors. Nevertheless, the area was teeming with people paying their respects to veterans on Remembrance Day. The courtyard outside the Abbey was filled with crosses representing people from all over the world who served in various wars, and visitors stopped to add the names and photos of friends and loved ones to the group. There were a number of veterans who had gathered for the parades happening that day, and it was touching to see them walk among the crosses looking for familiar names and groups.

Two days later, I had the chance to return to the Abbey to look around when it was open. I was surprised by the steep £16 entry fee but, of course, paid it anyway. At least visitors are offered a free audio guide.

The features of the Abbey are comparable to those of most major European churches or cathedrals. It has an impressive choir and nave lined with chapels. One distinguishing aspect is the number of tombs of notable figures in English history including everyone from Oliver Cromwell to Mary, Queen of Scots to Charles Darwin. As someone who loves poetry and literature, I was enamored standing in Poets’ Corner and looking at the memorials to T.S. Eliot, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Lord Byron and so many other literary greats. It was definitely worth the second visit to see inside.

Quick Trip to London, England

2012-01-01T16:36:00.000-05:00

Over a decade ago, I had the opportunity to spend a month at Oxford University in Oxford, England. As part of my program, we spent a few hours in London, seeing a play at The Globe Theater, taking a cruise on the Thames, and generally getting quite lost. With so little time in the big city under my belt, I jumped at the chance to take a quick trip to London for work.

I arrived in London on a Sunday morning and had an easy time at the airport. Though I looked for a bus service for an economical way to get downtown from the airport, I think I was a bit early. I ended up taking a metered cab for the roughly 50 minute ride into the city, which cost me a whopping £85 ($140). (Thank goodness I could expense it, but I would definitely look for a more cost-effective option next time.) I arrived at the Hotel Rathbone and was able to get to my room immediately, which was great after an overnight flight. The hotel might be a bit older than some of the fancier options, but I found it to be convenient, comfortable and spacious. There was also a bar and nice lobby area which was well-utilized by guests in the evening.

Since I only had a few hours of free time scattered over a couple of afternoons, I was looking for a way to cover the most ground in a short period of time. It prompted me to do something highly out of character -- I took a hop-on, hop-off bus tour! There are a couple of companies that offer similar tours, but I signed on for The Big Bus tour, which had a deal through my hotel. For £27 ($43) I got a ticket that was good for 48 hours and made stops at all the big landmarks. Considering that some of the big sites are spread out, it was an economical way to get to a lot of places.

I got on the bus near Hamley's toy store, the London equivalent of FAO Schwartz, and we headed down to Trafalgar Square, which proudly featured a large clock counting down to the start of the 2012 Olympic Games. From there, we drove along the Thames River and crossed over the London Bridge. Though it was only about 4:00pm, it was rapidly getting dark by the time we came upon Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. The sheer size and color of Big Ben were things that stood out to me the most from my original trip to London, and it was nice to see them more close-up. One of our next stops was Westminster Abbey where I took advantage of the hop-off feature of the tour (more on that later) and later wandered over to Buckingham Palace.

Since it was Remembrance Day, the UK equivalent to the US Veteran's Day, there were several parades throughout the city. I was lucky to reach the Palace just as some of the guards were leaving to take their place at one of the celebrations. So while it wasn't the changing of the guard, it was cool to see them in formation... and you gotta love the big fur hats!

I boarded the bus again bound for the Marble Arch. If I had timed things better, I could have continued on a trip farther West to Harrod's department store and a few other stops. But unfortunately, the bus trips end at 6pm, and it was time for me to make my way back toward my hotel. On the way, I decided to hit up the famous Selfridge's department store on Oxford Street, one of the main shopping streets. Selfridge's has a seemingly endless amount of merchandise (think Macy's in Herald Square, but higher-end). After spending some time wandering among the racks, I settled on a fabulous pair of blue suede ballet shoes and decided it was time to make my way back to the hotel before doing any more damage to my credit card.

Parliament

Tower Bridge

Trafalgar Square

The Guard on Remembrance Day

The Holidays in Sharon Springs, New York

2011-12-30T22:56:00.004-05:00

After Christmas, we decided to take a quick trip up to Sharon Springs and Cooperstown, New York. We’ve visited this area before for the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival (in 2010 and again in 2011). Since Laura’s mom and sister were visiting us for Christmas, and since they also like the Fabulous Beekman Boys TV show, it seemed like a perfect idea to take a brief visit with the family.

We drove up and had lunch at the Black Cat Café & Bakery. We all enjoyed our delicious soups and Swiss, Avacado, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches. It was so warming on such a cold day – the wind just howled in Sharon Springs. As good as the food was, the Black Cat had some amazing cakes for dessert. We all shared the carrot cake and a delightful cappuccino cake. It was a fantastic late afternoon lunch.

After lunch, we walked the quaint little village of Sharon Springs. Our first stop was the Beekman 1802 Mercantile – the flagship property of the Beekman Boys empire. We found Brent Ridge’s right hand, Maria, tending the store. She was sooo warm and welcoming to us. We had a great chat while we bought books, soap, fudge, gardening gloves, etc. Maria was a delight! At Cobbler & Company, the girls purchased some after-Christmas decorations and a few other items.

Now, since this was Boxing Day, the town was buzzing with anticipation of the annual Beekman Boys Boxing Day party. Every year on Boxing Day, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge have their famed raclette party with BLAAK cheese from the Beekman farm. Santa must have lost our invitations to the party!

We drove from Sharon Springs to Cooperstown, NY for the evening. We had reservations at the Inn at Cooperstown for the night. This quaint little inn has about 18 rooms and lots of delightful charm. Many old inns have charm around the edges, but the floors creak and the heat doesn’t work well, etc. But not the Inn at Cooperstown! This place is wonderful and they serve a wonderful and filling breakfast in the morning. (Room rate was $135 a night.)

For dinner, we ate at Nicoletta’s Italian Café, where we had a delightful lobster bisque soup and I had the lasagna. I also ordered one of the house-made sausages – it was heavenly!!! Oh my god, the sausage was a near-religious experience.

The next morning, we went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. This was our second time visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame and it is always a wonderful experience. This museum is a monument to greatness. I love reading about my heroes – Lou Gehrig, Roger Maris and others. It was also nice to see my high school classmate, Roy Halladay, so prominently recognized for his achievements last season.

Before heading back to Philadelphia, we stopped for lunch at the Brewery Ommegang. Now, we’d become familiar with the Hennepin beer at a restaurant in Philadelphia a year or so ago. We’d heard good things about the Café at the Ommegang Brewery so we wanted to have lunch there. Unfortunately, due to the holidays, they were totally unprepared for the massive onslaught of people. It was nearly an hour and half from when we ordered to when we received our food. To compensate, they comped our second round of drinks. I kind of feel bad about the experience – it could have been excellent, but wasn’t. Next time we’re in the region, we’ll try to have lunch here again.

The Inn at Cooperstown for the Holidays

The Beekman 1802 Mercantile in Sharon Springs, NY

The Famous Beekman 1802 Goat's Milk Soap

Our Crew

Caesar’s Palace – Las Vegas

2011-12-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

Las Vegas. Sin City. It has come to stand for gluttonous excess and the abdication of personal responsibility. But Las Vegas also has huge hotels that are cheap during the week – making it perfect for corporate meetings. And that’s what brought me here.

My company had a large corporate event at Caesar’s Palace right on the Las Vegas Strip. We needed like 3,000 hotel rooms, so we basically took over the hotel for a week. Caesar’s Palace is a Roman-inspired hotel that features lots of marble and faux-marble. It’s enough to make Caligula proud.

Our group of 3,000 really taxed the hotel’s abilities. For our group, check-in was a two-hour line. Several of my colleagues didn’t get their luggage delivered for over 24 hours (but the hotel gave them a $100 food & beverage voucher to compensate for it). Despite these hiccups, the hotel was lovely. I was really surprise how well the hotel did with the food for a group of that size – it was pretty good.

I had an amazing suite on the 39th floor with stunning views of the Las Vegas Strip – all the lights and the glamour. My main bathroom was bigger than most hotel rooms. It was clean and comfortable. And despite being right on the Strip side of the building, I had almost no traffic noise to speak of.

I wish I could say that I indulged in some of Las Vegas’ famed entertainment, or even went to Blue Man Group. But no – I spent a full week stuck in meetings. Thankfully, the company didn’t force us into anything awful like a Celine Dion concert.

My final night, I was able to get out of the hotel for about two hours. I walked down the strip. I went to the TI at the Mirage for their pirate show. Years ago, I really enjoyed the Treasure Island show, but now it’s just weird…and awful. The volcano eruption at the Mirage is still great – always a classic. I briefly stopped into the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace and made a small, self-indulgent purchase.

I hadn’t been to Las Vegas since the U2 opening of PopMart at Sam Boyd stadium in 1997. This town has changed. I’ll be back in Vegas in three months and I’ll bring Laura – we’ll do Vegas and probably drive out to the Grand Canyon.

View from my suite at Caesar's Palace

The Volcano Eruption at The Mirage

The Underwhelming "Sirens of TI" show at Treasure Island

More underwhelming "Sirens of TI" at Treasure Island

Julian, California

2011-12-11T21:57:00.001-05:00

On a recent trip to San Diego, we wanted to get out of the Downtown area and explore the region. We come to San Diego a few times a year and had heard great things about a small town in the mountains called Julian, California.

What makes Julian so wonderful? Everything. Julian is one of those quaint little towns that exist frozen in time. Julian is an old gold mining town that sits up in the low Cuyamaca Mountains and is adjacent to the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The town was founded back in the 1870s gold rush and owes its existence to freed African-American slaves who came West looking for opportunity and found gold. Today, the gold is in tourism and apples. The orchards around Julian produce some delicious apples which are perfect for pie making.

We had brunch in San Diego and headed out to Julian in the early afternoon. The drive to Julian was easy and scenic. On arriving in Julian (at the height of Apple Days), we found the town to be absolutely packed with tourists! We were able to find free street parking on a side street up by the local VFW Post.

We walked the street soaking up the ambiance of the town and dropping into the stores. We bought a few things and found some delicious apple cider (Julian Cider Mill Company). But the real goal of our trip was apple pie – and we found it at the Julian Pie Company. Let me state upfront, I don’t like fruit pies. I believe that fruit has no place in desserts. Desserts should be chocolate. However, I absolutely LOVE their Dutch Apple Pie. It is heavenly. We had about a 20 minute wait for our pie, but it was absolutely worth it.

The drive into the San Diego highlands was a welcome diversion from San Diego and Coronado, where we usually spend most of our time.

Traffic in Julian, CA During Apple Days

Horsedrawn Carriage in Downtown Julian

Quaint Downtown Julian, CA

San Diego’s Restaurant Scene

2011-12-05T21:12:00.001-05:00

San Diego, California has a wonderful and vibrant restaurant scene. Over the years, some of the best meals we’ve ever had have been in San Diego. On our recent trip to San Diego, we at ate some terrific places—

The Burger Lounge in Coronado – This cozy place is part of the local Burger Lounge chain and has about a dozen tables. We each got the lounge burger and a half-and-half (half fries, half onion rings). The Burger Lounge was good, but we were expecting more. We both found the burgers to be a little greasy and not as healthy as their marketing would convey.

Sheerwater at the Hotel del Cornado – This is the mid-priced option at the Hotel del Coronado. I had the tortilla soup, which was very flavorful and scalding hot. For my entree, I had the steak, which was cooked to a perfect medium. When I eat at a place like this, I always say it was good for a hotel restaurant (as if we should have lower expectations of hotel restaurants). But the Sheerwater was just good - no disclaimer necessary.

El Camino – The hipster gathering place called El Camino turned out to be our one serious disappointment in San Diego. They mix strong drinks and have pleasant servers, but the food was a bit disappointing. The chips and salsa was a signal of things to come (the salsa is made with mayonnaise). On the upside, the chicken nachos were great, however, both the Carne Asada burrito and the enchiladas were hugely disappointing. The enchilada sauce tasted exactly like Old El Paso enchilada sauce out of the can and the beef was very chewy. Given the cool decor, this place has potential if they improve their food.

The Lincoln Room – In the heart of Downtown San Diego and one-block off Horton Plaza is Lincoln. This backwoods homage to our 16th President is a sports bar with a Personality. We came in to watch a game and ended up staying for hours. From 3pm-7pm they have $5 specials (food, drink, basically everything). We had the half-pound of peel-and-eat shrimp and way too many chili cheese hotdogs (which were so good as to be nearly a religious experience).

Sammy's Woodfired Pizza in Mission Valley – Sammy’s is a San Diego institution with many different locations. This place makes a mean pizza. We ordered the BBQ chicken and the pepperoni - both were excellent! But the highlight of the dinner was their famed messy sundae dessert. Wow!

Starlite Dining & Cocktails in San Diego – This funky lounge right next to the highway isn't where you'd normally look for good food, but the Starlite Lounge is here – and they make an amazing brunch. I had the Porkster Omlet, which comes stuffed with more kinds of pork than I could count. Starlite claims to make their own sausage and given how good it tastes, I'd believe it. San Diego is a great breakfast town and there are a lot of great breakfast places here, but Starlite has earned a place in the elite group that is truly excellent!

The Prado at Balboa Park – The Prado Restaurant in Balboa Park is a San Diego institution and one of the most popular fine dining restaurants in the city. We loved the restaurant and its comfy ambiance. We found the service to be a bit rushed (although we were dining on the late side – folks eat REALLY early in San Diego). But the food was magnificent. Laura and I both had steaks, as did our sister-in-law Amanda. The steaks were perfect and the mashed potatoes were excellent. For side dishes, it was mixed – the mushrooms were great, but I found the polenta to be skippable. The cocktails were very good. We get to San Diego a couple of times a year, and we’ll definitely be coming back here.

San Diego really is a terrific restaurant town!

San Diego Safari Park and Escondido

2011-11-20T00:07:00.001-05:00

San Diego is so much more than Downtown and the Gaslamp District. On this trip, Laura and I really wanted to get out of the city. On a previous trip, we'd been to the San Diego Zoo and enjoyed it. On this trip, we decided to go to the San Diego Safari Park, an affiliate of the San Diego Zoo. The Safari Park features large enclosures that more closely mimic "nature."

The drive out to Escondido was really nice. We got to the Safari Park just before lunch and got parked (yes, they charge for parking all the way out here too). After making our way into the park, we headed straight down to the safari tram. The tram, included in the price of your $40 ticket, takes you out right to the edges of the large enclosures to get closer to the animals. There are more expensive ticket packages that take you right into the enclosures to get up close to the animals. Given our interest in photography, we probably should have done the photo tour.

We had a great time at the San Diego Safari Park and enjoyed seeing the animals up close. The highlights for us were the brand new baby gorilla and the new baby elephant - too damn cute! The best part about the San Diego Safari Park is that it didn’t feel like a “zoo.” Ever since I was a kid, I always just felt sorry for the animals in the zoo.

On the way back from the Safari Park, we stopped at the Orfila Vineyards and Winery. Stopping at vineyards is always a gamble on our travels. There are tons of vineyards, but few make really great wine. We found Orfila to be high on the list. They charge $10 for a tasting, but you get 6 wines (very generous tasting pours) and get to keep the glass. Of the six we sampled, there was only one I didn't care for (the port), but the others were excellent (particularly the viognier, the rose, and the zinfandel). This was well worth the stop. As we were leaving, they were having a wedding out back - the setting was idyllic.

For dinner, we ate near our hotel at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza in Mission Valley. This place makes a mean pizza. We ordered both the BBQ chicken and the pepperoni pizzas – both were excellent! But the highlight of the dinner was their famed messy sundae dessert. Wow!

If you're visiting San Diego, a day trip to Escondido to visit the San Diego Safari Park and the local wineries can be a great way to spend a day!

Touring San Diego, California

2011-11-12T22:06:00.001-05:00

On my first morning in San Diego, the plan was to play tourist and see the best the city has to offer. I woke up at our hotel – the Doubletree by Hilton Downtown. After a quick breakfast at Ariana's (the hotel restaurant), I headed out for the day.

I walked down to Little Italy for a real Italian coffee at Caffe Italia. Then, I boarded the Old Town Trolley for a two-hour driving tour of San Diego. The tour included a narrated history and hop-on-hop-off service for the day. The sites included are Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, San Diego Harbor, Seaport Village, Horton Plaza, Gaslamp Quarter, Coronado Island, Balboa Park and Little Italy. Overall, I was very impressed. When we travel, we tend to be pretty independent and eschew these kind of tours. However, I can say that after many trips to San Diego over the years, I definitely learned a few things about the city and definitely enjoyed myself. This is an excellent way to begin your time in San Diego.

After the Old Town Trolley Tour, I walked down to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego for some culture. The museum was showing the exhibit Phenomenal: California, Light, Space, Surface (which continues through January 22, 2012). I love contemporary art and the MCASD is a great museum - two buildings across the street from each other housing about 12 large rooms. This temporary exhibit prominently features the work of local artist Robert Irwin, but I found Doug Wheeler’s large scale work “DW 68 VEN MCASD11” to be enthralling. The museum describes the piece as “a total surround of disembodied luminescence,” but I found the experience to be a bit like lying on the bottom of a swimming pool and staring up at the light at the surface. I found other works to be just confusing – Craig Kaufman’s 1969 “Untitled” was a Dali-esque piece of pink/orange plastic and Jennifer Steinkamp’s massive “Madame Curie” (huge projected videos of wildflowers) was just mind-boggling, both beautiful and disorienting.

In the afternoon, I connected with Laura and we took a harbor cruise of San Diego Bay. The Hornblower Cruises operates pleasure and dinner cruises right from downtown San Diego run next to the Midway Museum. Hornblower Cruises offers three options: South Bay (featuring the Coronado Bridge, Naval base and is great for military buffs), North Bay (featuring the cultural sites of San Diego, sea lions and Point Loma), and a two-hour both North and South Bay cruise. The North Bay cruise seems to be more popular, although we did the South Bay and were very pleased with it. This cruise is fantastic and is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in San Diego.

In the evening, we checked into the Hotel del Coronado for the next three nights.

Whaley House in Old Town San Diego, on the Old Town Trolley Tour

Doug Wheeler's "DW 68 VEN MCASD11"

The Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) on our Harbor Cruise

Downtown San Diego, as viewed from our Harbor Cruise

The Hotel del Coronado

We'd like to thank the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau for their support in our visit.

San Diego Hotels

2011-11-10T22:03:00.001-05:00

During our trip to San Diego, we wanted to experience a range of hotels in different areas of the city, we selected three different hotels in different price ranges and in different parts of San Diego.

On our first night, we stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton Downtown. This 333 room, business-class high-rise hotel offers predictability and functionality. The rooms are clean, the amenities are nice without being too frilly and the WiFi actually works (in the rooms, but not, for some reason, in the restaurant). The rooms also have balconies that are dizzying. After a really long flight from the East Coast, I slept like a baby. There is some noise passing trains and planes, so light sleepers might have trouble, but it was no issue for me. And that warm welcome cookie just hit the spot!

The next three nights were spent at the Hotel del Coronado. This hotel is a San Diego institution, one of San Diego's top tourist sites and an architectural icon. The "del" is a legend and one of the Historic Hotels of America. I stayed in the newer Ocean Tower, which isn’t all that new. Our room featured stunning views of the parking lot – which was a little disappointing for a "resort view." This is the place to splurge for an ocean view, but ask questions because not all rooms are equal. As a child, I came here several times with my parents - always dreaming of the day I could stay here. Now that dream has come true. This was a business trip for me and the Hotel del Coronado did an amazing job on the food and logistics for the meeting. This grand old hotel really is classy. On this trip, we found that you come here for the overall experience and soak up the ambiance.

Our final three nights were spent out at the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Mission Valley – an area commonly called Hotel Circle for the number of hotels and also the street name. The Courtyard is a very nice property; the rooms are quiet and comfortable, although it seems to be the only hotel in the area that charges for parking ($16 per day). The nearby Fashion Valley mall has a ton of restaurants and eateries. The hotel is just about 4 miles from downtown, so it can be a more financially reasonable option for tourists. It is also very close to the funky/trendy Hillcrest area.

The Hotel del Coronado

View from our room at the Hotel del Coronado - this is the "resort view"

The Courtyard by Marriott, Mission Valley in San Diego

Literary Enrichment – Long Way Round

2011-11-06T15:06:00.000-05:00

When we’re not traveling, one of the things I love to do is read about other people’s travel experiences. I just finished reading the book, Long Way Round – the story of actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s trip around the world on motorcycle – from London to New York…via Russia, Mongolia, Alaska and all of the USA.

The most striking thing to me in this book are the lessons learned by McGregor and Boorman – you can’t control everything, the best moments come when you just go with the flow, and never underestimate the generosity that people will show travelers. When I think back to some of the most amazing travel experiences in my life, they have all come from these lessons. This book is a great read.

Last Day in Egypt

2011-11-05T23:47:00.000-04:00

Day 14

Our Middle East adventure is, sadly, coming to a close. After yesterday’s scuba diving adventure, we needed to spend the day on the beach working on our tans and offloading our nitrogen gas. For non-scuba divers, you cannot fly the day after scuba diving. It takes the body about 24 hours to get rid of the nitrogen gas that accumulates in the body during diving. So, we planned to spend the day at the beach at our hotel – the Hilton Fayrouz.

I wish I could say that we did something remarkable on our last day in Egypt. I wish I could say we had some kind of intense cultural experience. But no. We just spent the day by the beach. What’s not to love about that?

For dinner, we eat at the brand new Marhaba restaurant at the Hilton Fayrouz. The staff were incredibly attentive and the food was good – mostly fish and Middle Eastern classics. After dinner, we walked down into downtown Na’ama Bay and bought a few souvenirs. Tomorrow, we leave EXTREMELY early for a long day of traveling back to the United States.

This trip to Egypt has been a trip of a lifetime. For my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, it was their first place to travel overseas that was really, really foreign (i.e., not London or Paris). For us, this trip was nothing short of amazing. To be in Egypt immediately after the January 25th Revolution and seeing the country going through such intense change was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Scuba Diving in the Red Sea, Sharm El Sheikh

2011-11-04T22:52:00.000-04:00

Day 13

Our Middle East adventure continued with a planned day of scuba diving in the famed Red Sea. We had a quick breakfast at our hotel (the Hilton Fayrouz) in Sharm el-Sheik before walking down to the dive shop.

We had selected Ocean College for our diving based on its proximity to our resort (they are essentially on property) as well as feedback from other divers I had spoken with. We could not have been happier. We did paperwork the day before, so on this morning, we just boarded the bus and went. We drove from the hotel to the pier in downtown Naama Bay where we boarded our boat - Lady Ghada (love the name!).

We dove two local sites off Na’ama Bay. The first site (and the better of the two) was Fiddle Garden where we saw a couple of nice little rays on the bottom (we stayed down for about 30 minutes). The second dive site was the Near Garden (just off the shore from the Hyatt). There were lots of parrotfish here (we stayed down for about 40 minutes). While diving at Near Garden, I thought about the German tourist who was killed in a shark attack in this very spot while snorkeling back in December (I hadn’t told the ladies in the group about this until after we had finished our dive for the day). We all had some bouyancy challenges on the first dive, but the second was very good.

The lunch served on board the Lady Ghada was excellent and well worth the 50 Egyptian Pounds they charged for it. The boat staff was also really attentive and extraordinarily helpful – which I'm grateful for.

Back on land at the Hilton, we headed to the beach for a long nap in the shade of a palm tree. Seriously, what is not to love about that?

For dinner, we ate at the Al Fresco Italian buffet. The Arabiatta pasta was heavenly. We also ordered a large pizza, which we split. All the food here was very good and the staff was attentive.

As a group, we walked down into the town of Na’ama Bay and had gelatto at Vanilla right under the Camel Bar at the Camel Hotel. This is some awesome gelatto and the perfect end to the perfect day!

Walking the streets of Naama Bay, we were approached by the ubiqutous folks wanting to talk to us and sell us something). However, they were less aggressive here and less obtrusive than they were in Cairo.

Tomorrow is another day lounging on the beach (and off-loading our nitrogen gas before we fly home on Sunday).

Sharm El Sheikh from Our Dive Boat

Our Dive Boat, Lady Ghada

Arriving in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt

2011-10-18T22:27:00.000-04:00

Day 12

We woke up at the Hotel Victoria in Cairo before heading to the airport for our flight to Sharm el Sheikh.

The flight from Cairo to Sharm on Egypt Air was somewhat painful, but thankfully it was quick. There was a family right by us on the plane and the parents had no real control on the kids. I guess this kind of thing happens all over the world, but it really detracts from the vacation. Once we arrived in Sharm, we queued up in the taxi line. We ended up getting overcharged – badly – for our ride to the hotel, but it really was our own fault for not knowing the rates better. But once we got to hotel, it was glorious!

Sharm El Sheik was a sleepy fishing village until the late 1970s. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the Egyptian Government focused on turning this quaint stretch of rocky beach into a world class resort destination. The beaches in Sharm are not like Caribbean beaches, which are known for long sandy beaches that extend far inland. In Sharm, much of the beach is rocky, due to the close proximity of coral reefs off shore. This has its pluses and minuses – you have to be careful of the rocks, but you get some amazing snorkeling right off shore and fish that come up right up to the beach in less than 3-6 inches of water.

For our hotel, we opted for the Hilton Sharm El Sheik Fayrouz. This is an awesome resort offering both intimacy because of the small bungalows with all the amenities of a large resort facility. The resort seemed eerily quiet, like the rest of Egypt, but we enjoyed the extra attention they paid to us (it didn't hurt that I'm Gold Level in the Hilton Hhonors program). We got invited to a special cocktail party for the opening of their new Marhaba restaurant and all the staff knew my name by the first day. In recognition of my gold status, both our room also got upgraded to the half-board program, so breakfasts and dinners at most of the restaurants were included (saving us a really nice chunk of of change). The resort is not right in the heart of the craziness of Na’ama Bay (or Naama Bay as the English call it), but is close enough that we were able to take a stroll down the sidewalk in the evenings to the downtown business area. In short, the Hilton Fayrouz was perfect!

For lunch, we had sandwiches at the Al Fresco Italian Restaurant at the Hilton. After lunch, we headed over to the dive shop, Ocean College, right by the hotel to check in and do fittings for our dive rental gear. We planned to dive the next day, so we wanted to get this all handled ahead of time.

In the afternoon, we lounged by the beach and took a dip in the Red Sea. The water was warm and absolutely glorious! But since it was July, the sand was extremely hot!

For dinner, we made use of our half-board plan and went to the Wadi buffet restaurant. The buffet was what you would expect from an all-inclusive resort – lots of options, filling, but nothing overly fancy or remarkable. For a first night getting settled into the hotel, this was perfect option for us and everyone in our group was able to get exactly what they wanted.

After dinner, my wife and I walked briefly into the town of Na’ama Bay to see what was there. We grabbed some ice cream from a Movenpick kiosk and decided to go to bed early since we would scuba diving the next day.

Relaxing on the Beach at the Hilton Fayrouz Resort in Sharm El Sheik

Swimmers Enjoying the Red Sea

Coptic Cairo and Islamic Cairo, Egypt

2011-10-16T16:26:00.001-04:00

Day 11

We woke in Luxor, Egypt, at our hotel, the Pyramisa Isis Hotel Luxor and had breakfast. Then we headed to the airport for a 10:30am flight back to Cairo.

After we arrived, we went to the Coptic (Christian) area and saw two churches and a synagogue. The area is blocked off and generally closed to vehicle traffic. The Hanging Church (officially known as Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church), which is built on top of a Roman fortress, is distinguished by all of its carvings and mosaic work which are reminiscent of Greek Orthodox art. It's much smaller than people who have toured European cathedrals would expect, but it is very distinctive. We also went to St. Sergius and Bacchus Church, which dates back to the 4th century. Tradition says that it is built on the site where Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus slept after coming to Egypt because of persecution from King Herod. The interior decorations are similar in style to those in the Hanging Church. One of only a handful of open synagogues in Egypt, Ben Ezra (which is supposedly built on the site where baby Moses was found in the basket) is beautiful but sad. After the Arab-Israeli conflict erupted in the 1950s, the Jews of Egypt had to leave – some say they left voluntarily and others perceived they were forced out. There were once nearly 100,000 Jews in Egypt, but now the number is estimated near 100.

For lunch we headed over to Naguib Mahfouz Café, a lovely air conditioned spot named after Egypt’s most famous novelist. We had great pita with hummus and various spreads as well as falafel sandwiches. The prices were a bit higher than other places nearby, but the ambiance, good service and convenience were worth it.

In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit the huge mosque of Al-Azhar in Islamic Cairo (part of the Historic Cairo UNESCO World Heritage Site). Rather than being beautiful, this mosque was functional. It was the first mosque in Cairo and strives to educate local Egyptians as well as Muslims from Indonesia, China and other places in the world who come here for intensive study of the Quaran. After the women donned the coverups that the mosque has available for visitors, we walked around the courtyard and were able to go into the prayer area briefly.

From the mosque, we went on to Khan al-Khalili, a massive market that seems to go on forever (and one of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die). There are enormous areas for cloth, jewelry, local merchandise, souvenirs and other types of goods. As with many of the markets we visited, the vendors were desperate and bordering on aggressive. The months without tourists have left many of them broke and willing to go to great lengths to make a sale – often, this included relentless yelling and following us through the market. As bad as we felt for them, the approach certainly didn’t make us want to buy anything. Nevertheless, we did purchase several t-shirts commemorating the Revolution (one of our favorites says, “The power of the people is greater than the people in power”), and my wife got a great deal on a lamp she liked.

While we shopped, our guide waited for us at the famous café El Fishawy. (She would not go through markets with us because she said the male vendors would scream horrible things at her if she didn’t persuade us to go in every shop.) When we joined her, she had arranged for a local Nubian woman to give the women henna designs. A henna tattoo that might normally have cost $10 in better times was only about $3 (and it lasted forever).

In the evening, we went to Abou El Sid in the Zamelek neighborhood. It is an upscale restaurant that puts a spin on more traditional Egyptian food. The atmosphere was a bit funky and classy at the same time, with décor focusing on aspects of Egypt’s history, and dinner there was the absolute perfect way to end the tour part of our trip.

Tomorrow, we leave the hassle of Cairo and go to Sharm el Sheik for a few days of relaxation.

Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo

Mural in the Hanging Church Courtyard in Coptic Cairo

Al-Azhar in Islamic Cairo

Street Vendors in Islamic Cairo

Luxor’s Valley of the Kings and Queen Hatshepsut's Temple

2011-10-12T21:58:00.000-04:00

Day 10

We awoke early again this morning to head straight to Queen Hatshepsut's Temple before it got too hot. The multi-tiered temple is absolutely imposing set up against the rock. The building itself is on a grand scale, but most of the carvings were destroyed by Ramses II – a pity. But the carvings that remain retain much of the color – in fact this site has some of the best color of all the sites we got to experience in Egypt.

Hatshepsut’s temple was the site of "the problem" or "the accident" (as Egyptians call it) – where Islamic terrorists murdered 62 mostly Western and Japanese tourists and hacked them to pieces with machetes. This event totally decimated Egyptian tourism for years and it only recently fully recovered before the global financial crisis and the Egyptian Revolution of January 25th.

After the temple, we went to the Valley of the Kings where the pharaohs of the middle and new dynasties were buried, after they stopped using the pyramids as burial sites (making this part of the Thebes UNESCO World Heritage Site). The valley was somewhat smaller and narrower than I had expected and the tombs were everywhere! And it was very, very hot here. We visited the tombs of (in order): Ramses IV, Merenpath, Ramses III, Tutankhamun and Ramses VI (and Ramses V, since they were in the same tomb chamber). We were impressed that the tomb walkways were large and we could stand upright (after having to bend over to go into the pyramids). By far the highlight was the tomb of Ramses VI - with its vibrant color and dual sarcophagus (for both Ramses V and Ramses VI). This was an extra ticket of EP 50 but was absolutely worth it. We also bought the EP 100 ticket to go into King Tut's tomb, which we thought was kind of a “must do.” As our guide had warned, it was very small and unfinished because of the pharoah’s young age when he died. Not really worth it, but seeing the mummy actually in the tomb was nice.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped briefly at the Collossi of Memmnon. The two imposing statues are essentially the entrance to, and all that is really left of, Amenhotep III’s temple. There wasn’t too much to see, but some excavation was ongoing.

We made another brief stop at one of the many alabaster factories in the valley to see some carving and buy a few souvenirs (we stopped at Badr Factory). The owner (Mostafa Abd El Aal Beder) could not have been nicer and was clearly in need of some business. We saw a brief carving demonstration, and the owner educated us on machine-made versus hand-carved alabaster as well as on the ways that some companies fool tourists by making soapstone or wax look like alabaster. The four of us bought several items from their wide selection, including a candle holder (us) and a baboon (mother-in-law).

After the activity of the early morning and afternoon, the rest of the day was pretty low-key. We relaxed by the pool and spent some time shopping at the Fair Trade Market across from the Luxor Temple and the nearby souq. Our experience here was much more manageable than at the Aswan market – the vendors weren’t quite as aggressive.

Dinner was at Jamboree in the old souq. This place serves up food of all kinds. I had the Egyptian Mousaka – vegetables and minced meat in a boiling tomato sauce crusted over with gooey cheese. It was quite good, but the girls’ frakh tawouk (chicken) was better. They have a lemon juice in Egypt that is like a non-watered down lemonade. It is excellent and the best one of the whole trip was here at Jamboree.

After dinner, we went back to the Pyramisa Isis Hotel Luxor to check email, have an ice cream and go to bed. The good news for us was that the air conditioning did work - sort of. Not as strong or as cool as it should have been, but it did work.

Queen Hatshepsut's Temple

Badr Alabaster Factory

Collossi of Memmnon

Egypt Literary Enrichment – Down the Nile

2011-10-10T17:35:00.000-04:00

As we travel, I often get a book (either fiction or non-fiction) to supplement my experience in the country. For my trip to Egypt, I settled on a book called Down the Nile – Alone in a Fisheerman’s Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney. This non-fiction book chronicles Rosemary Mahoney’s trip to row a small boat down the Nile alone.

In the first part of her book, she details her preparations. I started reading the book while we were in Aswan and read it throughout our cruise on the Nile River. It was fascinating to that I was reading about Mahoney’s trip at exactly the same time we were in that location on our trip. As I was reading about her leaving Aswan and crossing the bridge north of the city, we crossed under the bridge, etc.

Perhaps most striking to me traveling through Egypt with a group of four women (my wife, sister-in-law, mother-in-law and our female guide), we were highly in tune the plight of women in this Islamic country. Mahoney focuses on women’s issues throughout the book – how men would not sell her a boat, how men doubted she could do it, etc. The book was wonderful and I enjoyed invoking historical references to Nile cruising from Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale.

After I finished reading the book (in Luxor), my mother-in-law picked it up and read it. This was a great book to enchance our experience on the Nile River cruise.

Egyptian Traffic

2011-10-09T17:11:00.000-04:00

When we were leaving for Egypt, our few friends who had been there previously all commented about the traffic. They told us the traffic is terrible, that the roads are dangerous and we should be sure to wear a seatbelt. From renting cars in other countries, we knew that Egypt is one of the few countries where our global auto insurance isn’t accepted. But having been to other developing countries, we felt we were prepared for the traffic.

When we arrived in Cairo, we were surprised by the traffic. Actually, it wasn’t as bad as we expected. To be sure, it was madness. But there’s an organization in the chaos. There’s a flow to the traffic. Things do move, albeit slowly.

But we did notice one thing. When there were traffic accidents, they tended to be really serious. When leaving Cairo for Alexandria, we came on this accident. It was pretty ugly. The other car was on its roof.

The Temple Sites of Karnak and Luxor in Egypt

2011-10-06T22:31:00.000-04:00

Day 9

After our balloon ride, we checked in to the Pyramisa Isis Hotel Luxor. The odyssey to find a room that was less than 100 degrees became a bit of a fiasco. Our first room was on the street, had no view and was very loud. Our second room had no air conditioner and was terrible. Our third room had a weak air conditioner that was nowhere near cool enough to allow us to sleep. Our fourth room had a working air conditioner but twin beds. And somewhere along the way, the water went out in the area causing all air conditioners to shut down. Despite all the difficulty, it is a really nice hotel. The lobby was comfortable and the multiple pools were well-maintained and awesome to relax in. The pool staff was much more helpful than the desk staff, and we really enjoyed our time.

In the late afternoon, we visited the NGO Animal Care Egypt (ACE). This group takes care of injured and neglected animals while educating animal owners throughout the city about humane treatment. They're a good group of folks and are doing really important work in a part of the world where people rely heavily on animals for their livelihood.

After ACE, we visited the famed Karnak Temple, the second most visited historical site in Egypt (part of the Thebes UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die). Karnak is enormous, probably due to the fact that approximately 30 pharaohs contributed to its buildings. In certain places, there are columns that are over three stories tall and about 3200 years old. It’s hard not to be extremely impressed by the grandeur.

You could spend all day wandering Karnak (if you didn’t pass out from the heat). Some its most remarkable features include Hatshepsut’s obelisk (the tallest in the world when it was made), the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes and the giant scarab statue. Definitely worth seeing.

During our visit, we had the interesting experience of being stopped several times by families asking to take photos with us. Our tour guide had warned us that it might happen, but it was still a bit unusual. Given the political situation, tourists were (and still are) rare, and some Egyptians want a record of the tourists (particularly non-Arabs) that they have met. Most of the groups were very nice and thankful for our time. The only creepy thing came when my wife and sister-in-law were stopped by three men in their mid-20s. They thought the men were asking them to take a photo for their group, but it turned out that each one of the men wanted a photo with each one of the women. When one of the guys put his head on my wife’s shoulder, they knew they needed to leave…and quickly. We stuck pretty close together for the rest of the visit.

After Karnak, we had a lovely dinner at Al Shahaby Lane Egyptian restaurant. I had a delightful Al Shahaby Beef tangine - which was boiling hot and good.

Once the sun went down, we headed over to Luxor Temple, which is striking when it’s lit up at night. Many of the features of Luxor Temple were similar to those at Karnak. Two things that really stood out were the massive pharaoh statues at the front of the temple and the Avenue of the Sphinxes, part of which was just restored in March 2010 but originally connected Luxor Temple and Karnak. We also had the opportunity to take some panoramic photos in a part of the temple that is still being excavated, at the urging of some shady policemen. The whole temple was beautiful and I don't feel like the photos will do it justice.

We concluded our excursion at the Snack Time across from the Luxor Temple for ice cream. It was the perfect conclusion to an awesome day.

Injured horse and her foal at ACE

Karnak

The Scarab Stone at Karnak

The Family We Met at Karnak

The Temple at Luxor

The Avenue of Sphinxes

The Temple at Luxor

Hot Air Balloon Ride Over Luxor, Egypt

2011-10-05T16:10:00.000-04:00

Day 9

We woke up at about 3:30am and left the m/s Nile Dolphin by 4:00am for our hot air balloon ride. We had spent a lot of time debating whether to do it because 1) none of us are morning people 2) two of us were scared to death of heights and 3) it was somewhat expensive…but we could not have been happier that we decided to go.

When we got to the take-off site, we had a few minutes to watch the balloons being inflated all around us. The massive pilot lights and rising balloons against the pre-dawn sky was really amazing. Once in the basket, we took our positions along with a Spanish couple who didn’t speak English (and seemed miserable) and several staff members from the balloon company.

Although it was clear our balloon was going up, it didn’t even seem like we were moving. It was a very unusual sensation to feel like we were hovering in mid-air, but it was actually great for me and my sister-in-law who both have a fear of heights. We had been pretty worried, but we ended up loving every minute of it.

We flew over all the fabulous sites of the area and took pictures of Queen Hatshepsut’s temple, the Colossi of Memnon, the Valley of the Queens and a little of the Valley of the Kings. Seeing everything from the air gave us a totally different perspective on the locations of all the landmarks and the engineering achievements it took to construct them.

We landed in a field (right by a goat herder!) only about a half-mile from where we started after a 45 minute flight. The vendor, Horus Airship and Balloon, was first rate. They paid attention to safety, used good equipment and generally ran a great operation.

Although we had been up for at least five hours, it was only 9am, so it was time to head to the hotel for a nap...

Getting Ready for Ballooning in Luxor

Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple

A Hot Air Balloon over the Nile River

Our Balloon's Shadow Over the Valley of the Kings

Landing our Balloon Near The Colossi of Memnon

Looking up inside our balloon

Edfu Temple and Nile River Cruise

2011-10-01T14:10:00.000-04:00

Day 8

Today, we got up around 6 am and had a breakfast buffet on our Nile River Cruiser - the m/s Nile Dolphin. We actually appreciated the early wakeup call, as it meant that we would miss some of the excruciating heat from the southern Egyptian sun.

We headed from the port into the old Edfu temple complex by way of a horse carriage. There is one main intersection on the drive and carriage my wife and sister-in-law were in was almost hit by a truck there. They knew it was a close call when they could tell their driver was scared.

We didn’t see much of the town of Edfu, but the large temple there is distinguished from the others we visited in that it has roof that is largely intact. The current temple, which was built to honor the falcon-headed god Horus, is from the Ptolemaic period (construction started in the year 237 BC) and took about 180 years to complete.

The carvings here were probably 20 feet tall and often began 6 feet off the ground making us think a lot about the engineering feats necessary to build and then carve on such massive structures. The inside of the temple still had some color left (the roof probably helped with the preservation).

The carriage ride back to the boat was less eventful than our first one, but we couldn’t help feeling sorry for these horses. Most them are too skinny and bear the marks of years of being whipped at the hands of their masters. There's no romance or charm to the experience.

In the afternoon, we read by the pool and watched the landscape roll by as we headed our way down to Luxor.
In the evening, we docked in Luxor, but did not head into town. Instead, we had a belly dancer and a whirling dervish come on the boat to entertain us. It was good fun.

Tomorrow morning is our hot air balloon flight, so it will be an early morning.

Entrance to the Edfu Temple

Interior Columns and Carvings at Edfu

The Sun Boat inside the Temple

Our boat - the m/s Nile Dolophin

A Passing Boat on the Nile

View from the River Nile

Going through the Esna Lock

A Whirling Dervish Performing on the Boat

Touring the Beekman Boys Farm at Sharon Springs Harvest Festival

2011-09-25T21:55:00.000-04:00

Day 2

It seems that every year at the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival the crowds are always less on Sunday. Sure, a lot of folks need to get from Sharon Springs, New York, back to their homes, but they miss the best part. For us, the Sunday of Harvest Festival has become synonymous with touring The Beekman Boys farm! Last year, we were on the first tour of the farm – and yes…we even made it on TV. You can spot us at several points during the Harvest Festival episode of The Fabulous Beekman Boys, Season 2 (sadly, we didn’t rank a mention in the credits).

This year, we drove up to Sharon Springs early in the morning and easily found parking just off Main Street. We waited in front of the Beekman 1802 Mercantile for the little shuttle bus that would take us out to the Beekman Mansion. Last year, you could drive yourself out to the farm, but as part of the better organization this year, they had arranged for buses. While we were waiting for the shuttle, Brent Ridge took his place on the Mercantile porch to greet all the patrons and Harvest Festival guests. However, we noted that Mr. Perfection was…gasp….LATE! We made sure to pass that little tip on to Josh when we got out to the farm.

Unlike last year’s tour which was led entirely by Josh and Farmer John, volunteers/friends lead different parts of the tour this year, giving Josh time to mingle with guests and answer questions (AWESOME), and John handled the barn portion. The tour consisted of 5 stops – the front of the house, the crypt, the garden/back porch, the barn/goats and the heirloom vegetable garden. We spent nearly two hours touring and then taking photos of Polka Spot (fabullous llama), the goats, Farmer John and that garden we love. The Beekman Boys’ farm is an absolute delight for photographers like us.

With permission, we picked a few items out of Josh’s garden – some tomatoes, radishes and an onion. It is always so nice of Josh to let visitors to the farm pick items from the garden… though I suspect that it also might help just a little bit with fall cleanup.

For us, touring Beekman Farm is always the highlight of the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival, and this year was the same. Thanks to Josh, Brent and the entire town of Sharon Springs, New York, for hosting a few thousand garden- and Beekman-loving fans.

Wild Mushrooms Growing Near the Crypt

The Back of the Beekman Mansion

Farmer John, Standing Guard at the Barn Entrance

One of Farmer John's Goats

Llooking Pretty

Polka Spot Being Camera Shy

Spider at Home in the Mint of the Beekman Garden

The Beekman Boys Sharon Springs Harvest Festival 2011

2011-09-24T23:13:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful time last year at the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival in Sharon Springs, New York, hosted by The Fabulous Beekman Boys. We had such a great time that we decided to go back for the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival 2011!

Just like last year, we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Oneonta, New York. This got us most of the way to Sharon Springs for the weekend and provided a good base to explore.

We got to Sharon Springs by 10:00am and already the main street was packed with cars. Last year, the town had 5,000 visitors for Harvest Festival and this year we expected more…many more. However, the recent rains seem to have dissuaded some. Our estimates are that there were between 3,000-5,000 attendees.

This year’s Harvest Festival was much better organized. The vendors were spread out all along Main Street, and it seemed like there were more than last year. At the Beekman 1802 Mercantile, last year the shelves were a little sparse (they ran out of their signature BLAAK cheese shortly after we went through, and many soap shelves were empty). This year, there were plentiful wheels of BLAAK and shelves stocked with soap plus their goat’s milk caramel and other products. However, on the downside, there weren’t any Beekman t-shirts this year.

After wandering through the town and browsing the vendors, we had lunch at the American Hotel, just beating the lunch rush. As always, the hamburgers were excellent! We also bought some tomato seeds and shallot starts at the D. Landreth booth, the company that supplies all the heirloom seeds for the Beekman garden. A lot of our garden is from Landreth seed, and we wanted to support them because they’re going through some tough financial times.

In the afternoon, we went for a drive. First, we headed west out to Pete’s TeePee. We grabbed a soda and checked out the views of Cherry Valley. Then we headed back to Sharon Orchard for cider and their amazing cider donuts. Seriously, the donuts are some of the best things in the world!

Late in the afternoon, we headed back to the American Hotel where the Beekman Boys were doing a signing of their new cookbook – The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook. Before the signing, we captured a video of one of the American’s owners Doug Plummer dishing the inside scoop on Brent (very good-naturedly, of course) as we all waited for the signing (you can find the video here on YouTube).

For dinner, we had purchased tickets for the pig roast at the Sharon Tavern. The pig roast was being held to benefit the victims of the local floods in Schoharie County. The pig roast was excellent! As a bonus, they also had BBQ lamb, which was heavenly.

Tomorrow, we do the tour of Beekman Farm.

Aswan and Kom Ombo in Nubian Egypt

2011-09-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

Day 7

We slept on the boat, the m/s Nile Dolphin, which was still docked in Aswan. In the morning, my mother-in-law and I went to the Nubian Museum. It’s a great museum - well organized, not too big, with well-written descriptions in English. This museum is everything the Egyptian Museum in Cairo could be.

After a couple of hours, we returned to the boat for lunch and set sail from Aswan up (yes, the Nile strangely flows South to North) the great River Nile. We spent much of the afternoon on the roof deck reading by the pool and taking the occasional dip. It was windy and extremely hot, which may be why we were basically the only ones there, but it was great to see the scenery going by. And when you’re in a pool on a boat in the Nile, there’s really not too much you can complain about.

Near sunset, we arrived at Kom Ombo. This temple from the Ptolemaic times (built in the 2nd century BC) is the only temple in Egypt to two gods - both the crocodile god Sobek and the god Haroeris (Horus the Elder). This temple is just 100 yards from the river bank. Since we were there at sunset, the entire monument burned a deep red.

The most impressive thing about Kom Ombo was the relief in the carvings on the walls. They were not simply carved into the rock, but they were completed so that the sharp details stood up out of the rock vividly. In some places, you could even see a glimpse of the amazingly deep colors that would have covered the temple thousands of years ago. Before this trip, we had never heard of Kom Ombo, but we would certainly recommend visiting if you have the opportunity.

In the evening, we had dinner on the boat. There was supposed to be a galabaya party (everyone wearing traditional Egyptian dress) after dinner, but it didn't materialize. What did happen was one of the Egyptian crew danced for a group of Chinese tourists. It was a train wreck. His dancing was downright pornographic and the Chinese folks mirrored his every dance move in a way that was a bit uncomfortable. It was awful, but quite amusing.

Travel & Leisure’s Global Bazaar

2011-09-17T21:19:00.002-04:00

To celebrate its 40th Anniversary, Travel & Leisure Magazine is holding a Global Bazaar in New York City. The magazine has been hyping this event for months, so our expectations were high and we traveled from Pennsylvania to Manhattan for it.

The concept of the bazaar was to provide a venue to showcase about a dozen locales and their their food and drink (mostly of the alcoholic variety). Participating this year were Fuji, Singapore, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, Chile, Israel, South Africa, Barbados, India and others.

The food and drink were excellent! We loved the chicken curry and roti bread at the Singopore pavilion! The duck and ice wine tasting at the Canadian pavilion was absolutely decadent and heavenly. The pork fritter at the Barbados hut was a little dry, but filling. However…we were hoping for more than just some food samplings.

At other travel festivals, the local pavilions would educate on their respective countries, etc. Of all the booths, only Chile really provided any actual information on tourism.

It is difficult to capture the essence and thrill of global travel in an expo environment. We applaud Travel & Leisure in achieving it’s 40th Anniversary (and it reminds me that I need to renew my subscription). However, the event left us wanting more.

Abu Simbel, Nubia, Egypt

2011-09-11T15:46:00.005-04:00

Day 6

We had all looked forward to Abu Simbel in the Nubia region of Egypt for some time and expected it to be the highlight of the trip. It did not disappoint.

We got up early to check out of our hotel - the Isis Corniche Aswan – and headed to the airport for our EgyptAir flight to Abu Simbel. We were fortunate to have this included as part of our tour package, as the other option for visisting the site is a 7-hour roundtrip caravan that leaves between 3 and 4am.

There's not much near Abu Simbel and there’s just about nothing to the town. But that's not why one would come here. You come to Abu Simbel for the temple - the great monument to Ramses II. The site is stunning and is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Sitting on a natural bluff overlooking manmade Lake Nasser, the temple captures the morning sunlight. Originally some 65 meters lower, it was saved by UNESCO from destruction in a 3-year-long effort.

The temple of Abu Simbel is truly amazing. Originally carved out of the mountainside beginning in 1244BC, the four iconic statues of Ramses tower over visitor. The sandstone soaks up the sun's rays and emits heat back like an oven in the already baking countryside. Inside, the intricate carvings tell the story of Ramses’ life (there is a lot of smiting his enemies with deathblows depicted). Photography is forbidden inside, which is a shame, though we did see that some guards allow people to take photos…for a price. We were so lucky to see this amazing place without throngs of visitors. The ability to capture the stunning exterior without other people in the frame was truly amazing.

About 100 meters from Ramses’ temple sits that of his wife, Nefertari. The temple is smaller than the main site at Abu Simbel but still has stunning illustrations on the walls, many that still have color. The façade of this building is also remarkable with six statues of the king and queen. At one point, the guard allowed me to take a photo from the entry (naturally lit and not requiring a flash so as not to harm the decorations inside). A few moments later, the guard left, leaving our family of four as the only people anywhere near the building. It was truly amazing.

After a couple of hours, we boarded our return flight to Aswan and checked into our Nile cruise boat – the m/s Nile Dolphin – where we had a late lunch. The tour company had managed our expectations about the experience, explaining that it was a five-star boat but that five stars in Egypt is not the same as five stars in the US. Nevertheless, we found the accommodations quite comfortable. The bathroom is huge and features a shower with 6 showerheads. The bedroom is also quite nice with a strong air conditioner, which continued to be of great importance through our journey in Southern Egypt. We unpacked and spent a little time by the pool on the top deck before our dinner of "rose beef" (aka roast beef).

We concluded the evening by walking around the market in Aswan. The girls bought spices and my mother-in-law purchased a galabaya. This was my sister-in-law’s first experience with markets like this. Being young and blonde, she wasn't prepared for all the harassment of vendors asking her to buy stuff and Egyptian men asking to marry her or asking her how much she costs. She got a real experience.

Aswan, Egypt

2011-08-27T17:40:00.005-04:00

Day 5

After arriving on the overnight train, we were met at the train station by a driver for our trip to the Philea Temple, the Temple of Isis. This was our first real temple of the trip and it was very impressive (not to mention a UNESCO World Heritage Site). The temple sits on an island in the lake behind the Aswan Low Dam so you need to take a very brief boat ride to reach it. Originally, it was about 500 meters away, but it was moved block-by-block in the 1960s to preserve it.

My mother-in-law was in awe of the place, which was the case with most sites we visited. She was particularly engrossed with the ornate capitals on the columns that line the sides of the temple. We were all more impressed than we anticipated by the clarity of the enormous carvings or hieroglyphics and other figures that were over 2000 years old. The temple was taken over by Christians around the 6th century, so some of the Egyptian figures had been scratched out, and there was a cross clearly visible on what became the Christian alter in the heart of the temple.

After our temple visit, we checked in at the Isis Corniche Aswan, had lunch and did a little swimming to try to keep cool in the roughly 115 degree heat. It was so hot that we were all on the verge of spontaneous combustion. The hotel was mostly empty (a theme with our trip), and it was great to have the pool mostly to ourselves. The rooms are set up as individual bungalows, and they were cool and comfortable with large bathrooms, offering the right mix of comfort with convenience. And being ON the River Nile didn't hurt either.

In the late afternoon, we took a felucca ride on the Nile to a cafe for some tea. They drink mint tea here like they do all across the Middle East - we LOVE it! The felucca is a traditional Egyptian boat similar to what most people would think of as a sailboat. Some of them are large enough to accommodate groups overnight.

After the felucca trip, we headed by another boat to West Aswan, a Nubian community of about 25,000 across the river from the city. Many of the people there live in less-than-ideal conditions with dirt floors and parts of their homes not having a roof. Interestingly, most people still had cable. We were fortunate enough to have dinner with a family in their home, which entailed removing our shoes and sitting on a large carpet in the front of the home. We saw their bread oven, which was very similar to ovens in Peru, and indulged in a delicious dinner consisting of bread, rice, lentil soup, fried fish, grilled chicken, an okra and tomato dish (HEAVENLY) and potatoes with tomatoes. It was our only real taste of how typical people there live, and we were grateful for the experience.

The Night Train to Aswan

2011-08-24T21:16:00.006-04:00

Day 4

The fourth day of our trip was essentially a transit day.

We slept in a little and had breakfast at our hotel, the Azur Grand Mediterranean. The breakfast was quite good—a full buffet including omelets, potatoes, pastries and lots of fresh juices. After breakfast, we went down to the beach (on the Mediterranean!!) and lounged for an hour, reading our books and wading in the water. Sadly, our time came to an end quickly and we got on the road back to Cairo.

For lunch we stopped at the food court in the Alexandria City Centre mall, where we got some great falafel sandwiches and then piled back into our minivan.

When we arrived in Cairo, we still had several hours to kill before boarding our train to Aswan so we headed to the Golden Eagle Papyrus store on Sakkara Road in Giza (goldeneaglepapyrus@yahoo.com) to see papyrus how is made and look around the shop. The quality of their work was excellent, and my mother-in-law and sister-in-law both purchased several papyrus designs, though we decided it probably wouldn’t fit well in our house. After the papyrus store, we went a few doors up the street to smoke shisha and have tea at the Tito cafe.

From there, we headed to the Giza train station to board our 14-hour overnight train to Aswan. Our cabin was about five feet wide by eight feet long with a small sink, mirror and two beds that folded out of the wall. We got an unremarkable dinner (overcooked rubber chicken, potatoes and bland rice) on the train, but it was enough to do the job. After dinner, the stward lowered our beds and it was lights out.

To make a long story short, the train is not incredibly restful. We were right next to our cabin steward, and things were banging around all night. But it was all worth it when we woke up to the views of the Southern Egypt countryside and the Nile.

By 10am, we arrived in Aswan, Egypt.

Alexandria, Egypt

2011-07-31T23:43:00.006-04:00

Day 3

We got up early to make our way to Alexandria with the police escort still in tow. In Cairo, a relatively short drive can seem to take forever because the traffic is terrible! Four cars drive side-by-side on roads with only three lanes, people merge in an instant without any indication and volume is so heavy, you could stick your hand out the window and touch the cars next to you (or have a conversation if you’re gridlocked).

Once we got out of Cairo, the roads opened up considerably, and the drive to Alexandria took about 3 hours. We stopped once along the way to use the bathroom and get something to drink. My ice coffee would later come back to haunt me. But more on that later.

On arriving in Alexandria, we went to the Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa. After visiting the catacombs in Paris and Lima, Peru, we're very familiar with subterranean burial grounds, but these catacombs were different – no human remains. The Greco-Roman architecture of the tombs is very intricate and the layout around the central shaft is ingenius, allowing light in. Over the years, groundwater has seeped in, making it necessary to walk on boards in some parts of the catacombs to avoid the several inches of water now on the floor. You can certainly see why so many of the structures of ancient Alexandria disintegrated into the Mediterranean.

After the catacombs, we went to the Bibliotheca Alexandria, a structure built just a few hundred yards away from the site of the Ancient Library of Alexandria. While the building is a stunning architectural achievement and builds on several thousand years of history, it really is just a building. The guides spend about 10 minutes teaching about the website (which is kind of lame) and showing us a few photographic and art exhibits on the lower levels. We LOVED the area dedicated to the late President Anwar Sadat that included a number of items from his life, including a letter from then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter praising him for his role in bringing peace to relations with Israel as well as the clothes he was wearing when he was assassinated. Being American and woefully ignorant of Egyptian history, seeing this room (especially in the aftermath of the January 25 revolution) helped bring context to the political struggles of the country.

On the way to Fort Qaitbey, the site of the original lighthouse of Alexandria (one of the Wonders of the Ancient World), we stopped for lunch at the Fish Market. Built right out to the water, this second floor restaurant served some delicious seafood and salads. We all had the sea bream and shrimp that were fresh from the Mediterranean that day.

After lunch, we went to the Fort. Though we didn’t go in, the Fort is nice enough from the outside, and I got some good photos. It was at this point where the iced coffee from the morning caught up with me...in a bad, bad way. I spent the rest of the day popping Antinal (a local anti-diarrheal).

After our stop at the Fort, we drove a long way out on the Corniche to the Montazah Palace Gardens where we saw the President’s (currently uninhabited) summer palace. The gardens themselves were pretty, but skippable.

Our hotel, Azur Grand Mediterranean, was our next stop. And what a fabulous stop is was! We got upgraded to a junior suite (room 1507) with a balcony looking out right on the Mediterrean Sea and over one of the hotel’s pools.

Our dinner was an uneventful stop across the street at Pizza Hut. After the huge seafood lunch, we wanted something simple and quick, so pizza hit the spot. After a quick drink back at the hotel bar, it was time to call it a night.

The Giza Pyramids and the Egyptian Antiquities Museum

2011-07-13T21:56:00.004-04:00

Day 2

Our second day in Cairo, Egypt, we had breakfast at the Hotel Victoria (consisting of three cheese slices, a hard boiled egg, lump of butter, some jam, spreadable cheese and a mountain of bread, all accompanied by some yogurt). It was fine and got us going.

We then headed out to the Giza plateau and the amazing Pyramids (a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die). Everything you've heard about them is true – they are impressive. This is the only remaining wonders of the ancient world. To think that they have stood here for centuries is almost unfathomable. For thousands of years, the Great Pyramid was the tallest structure on the planet.

After taking in the massive size and scale of the Great Pyramid, we walked around the pyramid to the Solar Boat Museum. This massively ugly building straddles the great pit where a massive boat was found disassemble in the sand. This boat was built to carry Khufu across the sky in the afterlife. This boat is a thing of beauty and I just cannot comprehend how it survived for thousands of years under the sand.

From there, we went into the smaller pyramid (the Pyramid of Menkaure). I kind of felt like I HAD to do it, but it really was a "been there, done that" and is completely skippable. The passageway is extremely small and you have to crouch down to walk down in there. It’s wide enough for one person to go down, but it was extremely challenging to have one person go down and another coming up at the same time. Inside the tomb, we were underwhelmed. Again, it was a “been there, done that.” I’m glad we didn’t pay the extra money and take the extra time to go into the Great Pyramid.

Now, the highlight of the day was the panoramic overlook. This windswept vista offers the chance to take in the 3 largest pyramids at Giza. The vendors don't harass you here as much and the camel drivers are downright friendly. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law took a camel ride while we hung back and took pictures. This was heavenly. In retrospect, I kind of wish we’d done the camel ride.

Before leaving, we stopped at the Great Sphinx of Giza. I had rather high expectations for the Sphinx. This is an absolutely iconic symbol of Egypt. It’s a shame that the Sphinx has sustained so much damage over the years. Obviously, given our love of photography, it was tough to get any really good photos of the Sphinx.

We grabbed a quick takeaway lunch from the On The Go gas station, which was fine. And then, we headed back into the heart of Cairo and Tahrir Square.

At Tahrir Square, we toured the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. This museum isn't all that large, but it is absolutely packed and cramped with every find that Egyptologists have ever found. The organization leaves much to be desired. But the vast array of antiquities out of their original environment was sad. And seeing all the artifacts packed into the poorly organized museum is confusing.

The Egyptian Government has long argued that they are taking a leadership in reclaiming their heritage back from the world. But somehow this museum doesn’t do much to inspire confidence in the Egyptian Government’s ability to preserve its antiquities. Why strip artifacts out of the proper place within Egypt to stick them in a room so packed you can't see them? Why not return them to their real, original places in Southern Egypt or out at Giza? If not, you might as well leave them in Berlin or New York, where you can see them better.

In the evening, we ventured to Garden City to the restaurant Taboula. This place came highly recommended by a friend back home. We found the food to be excellent! However, we "got lost" in amongst the big groups, so I felt like we were overlooked. We did order the apple sheisha, which reminded me why I gave up dabbling in smoking years ago. Overall, this was a fun lively place with great food.

Tomorrow, we head to the Mediterranean and the city of Alexandria.

Downtown Cairo, Egypt and Post-Revolution Tahrir Square

2011-07-10T22:15:00.003-04:00

Day 1

The previous evening, we flew from Newark to Munich, Germany, where we changed flights that would take us onward to Cairo, Egypt.

At the airport, we exchanged currency at the Thomas Cook window and also purchased our $15 entry visas. It was a simple process and could not have been easier. Once we claimed our baggage, we were quickly picked up buy our Intrepid Travel representative. There were many guys at the airport asking for tips. I'm thinking - for what? They're not doing anything. This is going to be a preview of things to come.

We were driven from the airport in a mini-bus to the Hotel Victoria in downtown Cairo. What can you say? The Hotel Victoria does not impress. It is old, near ancient, although generally clean (smelling of fresh paint in places). This was once a grand hotel, but that was 50 years ago. The beds were comfortable. The staff was friendly (more the day staff than the night staff), but the hotel is just a dump. I really think Intrepid Travel should find another home base.

Once checked in, we took a brief nap to recover. We met our Intrepid Travel tour leader, Hoda, for an orientation. What the Hotel Victoria lacks, Hoda makes up for. We LOVED Hoda. She walked us through the program and answered our questions. Then we set out for dinner. My friend back in the United States had warned us about Felfela. And yes, we found ourselves there. However, we need not be concerned.

Felfela is an Egyptian restaurant in the heart of downtown just two blocks off Tahrir Square. We had a deliceous meal. My kahbabs were very tasty, although slightly overcooked (which was better than the opposite). My wife's stuffed vegetables were delicious. The bread was good. We had no compliants (although it didn't blow us over either).

After dinner, we walked down to the famous Tahrir Square - site of the now legendary January 25th Revolution. For a Sunday night, the atmosphere was pleasant and was busy (although by Cairo standards, I'm guessing it was slow). There were lots of people selling t-shirts, etc. After watching CNN for so many nights during the Revolution, it was inspiring to see the site itself. We had dozens of young Egyptians shout "Welcome to Egypt" at us. It was AWESOME.

Under Tahrir Square, we walked through the maze of tunnels that is the metro station. In the station, there were many works of art and political posters. Despite the time that has passed since the beginning of the January 25th Revolution, these statements - even in a language we cannot read - are still emotionally charged and raw. This is a very emotionally moving time to be in Cairo, Egypt.

We then walked two blocks down to see the mighty Nile River by night - lined by dozens of high-rise, 5-star hotels. The bridge was packed with mostly young couples holding hands and kissing. The outward displays of affection stand in stark contrast to the conservative religeous orientation. This seems to be an important part of the Egyptian courtship ritual.

After Downtown Cairo, we took a cab back to the Hotel Victoria and bed. Tomorrow will be a full day.

Egypt Itinerary

2011-07-08T21:39:00.002-04:00

The itinerary for our Egypt trip is set:

Day 0: Fly from the USA to Munich, Germany and then on to Cairo, Egypt.

Day 1: Arrive in Cairo late in the day. Meet up with local guide and have dinner.

Day 2: Visit the Great Pyramids of Giza in the morning and the Egyptian Museum in the afternoon.

Day 3: Travel to Alexandria and see the catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa, the Bibliotheca Alexandria, the Fort Qaitbey, and the Al Montazah Gardens.

Day 4: Travel day. Head back to Cairo from Alexandria and then board night train on to Aswan.

Day 5: Visit the Philae Temple, take a felucca ride and then eat dinner with a local family.

Day 6: Fly to Abu Simbel to see the temple and fly back to Aswan.

Day 7: Spend morning relaxing on the boat and then visit Kom Ombo temple in the afternoon.

Day 8: Visit Edfu Temple in the morning and relax on the boat in the afternoon.

Day 9: Hot air balloon flight in the morning and then visit Karnak Temple in the afternoon.

Day 10: Visit the Colossi of Memnon and the Valley of the Kings.

Day 11: Fly from Luxor back to Cairo. Visit Coptic Cairo and Islamic Cairo and the Khan al Khalilli Market.

Day 12: Fly from Cairo to Sharm el-Sheikh. Afternoon on the beach.

Day 13: Scuba diving in the Red Sea.

Day 14: Day on beach in Na'ama Bay.

Day 15: Return home - Fly from Sharm el-Sheikh to Cairo to Munich and back to the USA.

Egyptian Political Changes

2011-06-18T00:10:00.001-04:00

The Arab Spring. That’s the name that has been given to Spring 2011 when the people of Arab countries stood up to their ruling classes. Democracy has come to the Muslim world.

We’ll be leaving for Egypt in a few weeks and I’m absolutely thrilled to be there at this time. How fascinating will it be to see the change first hand? I’m so anxious to get there.

San Antonio, Texas

2011-06-17T23:36:00.008-04:00

My job recently took me to San Antonio, Texas for a conference. San Antonio isn't a major convention town because the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is too small. However, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in charm. The Convention Center is gorgeous!

This was my first trip to San Antonio. It is a damn cute town. The Riverwalk is everything!

I got into town and took the $30 cab ride from the airport to my hotel - Grand Hyatt San Antonio, which is connected to the convention center. This hotel is wonderful and everything you would expect from a Hyatt. It is sleek, modern, has direct access to the Riveralk and, given my Platinum status, got me upgraded into a really nice room. As a bonus, since I'm an addict, they have a Starbucks in the lobby.

My work at the convention center didn't afford me too much free time. However, on the first morning, I did some of the historic sites. Yes, no trip to San Antonio would be complete without visiting The Alamo. This Texas landmark to the Republic is visited by millions every year. It's small, compact and, best of all, FREE! I was able to walk right in and see the sight. Unfortunately given that it was a Saturday, it was packed with people and I wasn't able to get a good photo. However, later in the trip I came back after 6pm and was able to get some shots with nobody around!

On that first day, I walked the Riverwalk in the afternoon (one the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die). For dinner, I ended up at the Lone Star Café on the Riverwalk (above Michelino’s - and, as it turned out, part of the Michelino’s River Restaurants group). This was my worst meal of the trip and nothing more than a gut bomb. I had the burger, which was really, really greesy. It was fine, but I could have done better at about anywhere else.

After dinner, I spent three or so hours engaging in my new hobby - geocaching. Basically, it is using a GPS to go around and fine hidden markers (usually small tubes with a log book inside). It's an adult version of a scavenger hunt, but gets you to see some of the sights of the city - including many points along the Riverwalk.

The next evening, we had dinner at the Chart House - the revolving restaurant high atop the Tower of the Americas - the iconic spire that towers over the city. The sunset views were spectacular. The food was good, but not great. I had a steak and asked for it to be cooked medium - it came out gray and black - the consistency of a hockey puck. I asked for a new one that came out better, but this one was medium rare. The kitchen had real issues. However the appetizers, salads, side dishes and desserts were all good.

Dinner on the final night took us to Mad Dogs - a British themed pub where the young waitresses dress like Hooters girls in kilts. It was fine. My group had taken over the upper bar area and arranged to have a buffet of sliders, fried fish, beef skewers, etc. The food was fine, barely passable for bare fare - although the fish and chips were excellent! I wouldn't repeat.

On the final day, I was able to take a couple hours off and do the riverboat cruise on the Riverwalk with Rio. I intentionally worked it so I was first in line and able to get a seat right up front on the outside - to take better pictures. In terms of quality, this was better than I expected, however your guide/driver makes the experience (but it is really luck of the draw). I really enjoyed the historical overview.

I don't know what I expected from San Antonio other than the hot weather. I certainly didn't expect that I would like it was much as I did. This is a fun, wonderful town and I look forward to coming back.

New Orleans' French Influences

2011-06-13T21:09:00.005-04:00

Day 2

Our second day in New Orleans started slowly. We slept in and enjoyed those Heavenly Beds at the Westin Hotel. We grabbed a quick coffee and pastry at the Starbucks downstairs before heading out into the heat and humidity.

Our first stop was the Cresent City Farmers Market at Magazine Street and Girod Street. On our travels, we love the markets. But this one was very small and pretty sad - only about 7 or 8 vendors. The produce looked huge and fresh, but there just wasn't much else going on.

We took the St. Charles Street Car out of downtown soaking up the Garden District. In the street car, we saw an advertisement for a French Festival. We thought, hmm, that would be cool. The fair was awesome – everyone speaking French, lots of French food and great zydeco music. Unfortunately, it was extremely hot, but manageable.

After the French Festival, we walked back along Magazine Street – a cross between quaint residential neighborhood and hip social scene. I love this neighborhood. We stopped at Sno Wizard snowcones and I got to have my first snowcone (a strawberry and cherry mix). I know – I’m a little old for my first snowcone, but I had an unconventional childhood. After, we stopped into hipster central – the Storyville store. This t-shirt shop is a mecca for the young and the trendy (of which, I am neither).

I spent a few hours working at the Convention Center. Afterwards, we went and had dinner at Luke by John Besh. I had a massive shrimp cocktail (just massive…MASSIVE) and then we both had delicious burgers. The food was excellent, but the service was poor.

We took a cab over to Café du Monde for beignets and coffee. This is one of those absolutely classic New Orleans experiences. The beignets (French donuts) are smothered in powdered sugar and the coffee was tangy.

After Café du Monde, we walked back along Bourbon Street, stopping briefly to listen to Steamboat Willie and his jazz band, before going back to the Westin and bed.

Classic New Orleans, LA

2011-04-29T22:51:00.003-04:00

Day 1

For our trip to New Orleans, we arrived late at night and met up at airport (we took separate flights). Our cab driver had 2 teeth and was a real personality! What a hoot.

Our hotel was the Westin New Orleans Canal Place, basically right on the edge of the French Quarter – and close to the Convention Center for my job. The property is rather new and lacks charm – however it is spacious, comfortable and convenient. The elevators look antique and have the speed to match, but is a small price to pay for a convenient location.

The next morning, we slept in and had a nice lunch at Emeril Lagasse's NOLA Restaurant. The place is right in the French Quarter on Rue St. Louis Street. It's a rustic place with nice wood floors and an open industrial elevator specializing in modern adaptations of Southern classics. I had the delicious duck pizza topped with a juicy fried egg – French inspired and heavenly. My wife had the classic shrimp and grits, which was awesome, although the grits were a little runny! This was a great lunch.

After, we did the Frommer's walking tour of the French Quarter (found in the Frommer's guidebook). We found it to be a bit longer than necessary, but we enjoyed the ambiance. The architecture of the French Quarter is like no other place in America (making this one of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die). The wrought iron balconies are nothing less than iconic. The French Quarter has both an aggressive edginess as well as a quaint charm.

On the tour, we stopped for iced tea at the Community Coffee House on Royal Street. This place is the perfect community coffee shop – friendly staff, free wifi and plenty of room to sit and lounge.

For dinner, my wife had selected Arnaud's. While Commander's Palace is the city's number one fine dining restaurant and gets most of the ink in guidebboks, Arnaud's is where my wife's Southern family has gone to celebrate...for generations. On this evening, we started with French 75 cocktails, since they were invented here. For appetizers, we had the Shrimp Cocktail Arnaud (a lite heat on the back of the palate) and the crab claws provincales (delicious, albeit really small claws). For dinner, I had the crab cakes, which were AMAZING. The wife had the fish ponchatrane (a bass topped with lump crabmeat in a sweet sauce) – absolutely delightful. For dessert, we had the chocolate destruction. This is the kind of dessert that people describe as "rich" – as if that's a bad thing. We loved it all.

After dinner, we walked Bourbon Street soaking up its Friday night madness and insanity. We did not partake.

Tomorrow we explore the classic French influences of New Orleans.

Boulder, Colorado

2011-04-10T20:56:00.004-04:00

Day 2

It has been three years since I've been to Boulder. Last time we were here, Barack Obama was having campaign stop and everybody was smoking weed and shooting heroin. It was very Boulder.

On this day, we headed to our family's long-time hangout – the Dark Horse. My parents feel comfortable enough here because the decorating scheme matches their house. We like the food and the funkiness. The burgers here are awesome and super cheap.

After lunch, we drove through the University of Colorado campus (my alma matter) while listening to KBCO. It was just like old times! Despite appeals from the CU Foundation and urgent pleas to the state legislature, there doesn't seem to be any financial shortfall at the University of Colorado given the massive building boom that is going on here. Many of the wide open lawns are gone – replaced by massive towers.

We parked up on The Hill and walked around for a while. It always amazes me how certain spots on the Hill can just continually reinvent themselves. On this trip, The Hill was far cleaner than I ever remembered it to be.

The afternoon took us down to Pearl Street for the Pearl Street Shuffle. MTV was there recruiting folks for the next episode of The Real World. Lots of the CU girls were decked out in their Saturday sluttiest hoping to make the show.

Saturday evening we met with our very good friends Rob and Jenny. They took us to Jax's Fish House Boulder for their famed happy hour. The cucumber lemonade cocktail was excellent. The shrimp cocktail was OK, the shrimp roll was excellent and the calamari was just passable.

Then we went over to The Med for dinner. We split the red pepper hummus (excellent), caprese (deliceous, but out of season) and brochetta (perfect mix of tomato and cheese and balsamic) for tapas. For dinner, my wife and I split the chicken madeira and the Salicca pizza. The pizza was amazing - probably one of the best pizzas I've ever had.

Despite the short duration of this trip, I realized how much I miss Colorado. As my parents age, I think it’s important that I try to get home more frequently.

Estes Park, Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park

2011-04-05T19:36:00.006-04:00

Day 1

We recently took a short weekend getaway to Colorado. I grew up there and I hadn't been back in three years. I have a love-hate relationship with the State. I love the mountains and outdoors and a few close friends and family members. I dislike the political/religious scene that permeates all aspects of life when you live here.

For the day, we intended to go up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Along the way, we stopped in Lyons and Allens Park to see some of the mountain views. From Lyons, we went into Estes via the South St. Vrain canyon, which was completely desolate.

On arriving in Estes Park, we stopped at the world famous Stanley Hotel – one of the Historic Hotels of America...and the hotel in Stephen King's The Shining. It turns out, that on this weekend, the paranormal society was here. The event, sponsored by the Ghost Adventures Crew and Darkness Radio was predominantly attended by single women in the 30's and 40's. If there were more men, it could have doubled as a dating event for the desperately single. It was a hoot!

For the record, I don't know if I believe in ghosts or not. My religion tells me yes and I've seen things that cannot be explained. However, my parents friends had one of those ghost TV shows (the kind that appear on cable TV and draw big ratings and the hosts have now become minor celebrities) come to their old home and they felt the TV ghost adventure chasers faked the whole thing. I'm inclined to agree.

After having lunch at the Stanley Hotel (huge excellent burgers!), we went up to Rocky Mountain National Park and saw a bunch of Elk. My wife got some great pictures as the Elk grazed on the side of the road.

From Estes Park, we headed back towards Lyons and the Oskar Blues brewery. Oskar Blues is a microbrewery that puts out some of America's best high-end beers – in cans. It's old school. In Lyons, we discovered they only brew small batches for the restaurant there now. But they were kind enough to show us the facility where it was born! We never did make it out to Longmont, where they have their big facility.

We had a nice quiet dinner at my parent's house – just like when I was a kid.

The Stanley Hotel:

Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park:

Sign at the Oscar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colorado:

The Bottling Shed where Oscar Blues Started:

Orlando Convention Nightmare

2011-03-18T20:56:00.003-04:00

On this blog, often write about the places I go for work, but I never say exactly what I do or who I work for. I will only say I work in healthcare and attend many, many tradeshows and conventions a year.

February brought me to Orlando, Florida and the Orange County Convention Center. What a nightmare. Orlando does two things really, really well: the whole kiddie vacation thing and single-site corporate meetings because of the large hotels.

Orlando sucks for conventions. The city's infrastrucure isn't built for it. There are not enough business-calibir restaurants near the convention center. They've got tons of TGIMcFuckwalds out there on International Drive. But you're not going to take a customer to Hooter's, TGI Fridays, Bahama Breeze or similar establishments.

The hotels near the convention center are multi-purpose – generally catering to families with kids and sometomes playing host to business travelers. The convention stuck me in the Springhill Suites by Marriott, Orlando. It was a 100% family hotel. Despite my Gold status with Marriott, I couldn't get a grown up room. No king beds. Seriously, twin beds for a convention hotel? Added to it was a prostitute who had set up shop in the room across the hall. (It was a heterosexual prostitute, which is behavior that is evidently condoned by the LDS leadership of Marriott Corporation).

The Orange County Convention Center lacks the logistical support to move people for a major tradeshow. Everything is too far to walk. There are shuttle buses that run infrequently – and the bus drivers occasionally got lost. There are nowhere near enough taxis – and even those taxis don't often know where they are going. Best to print your own directions prior to every trip.

I could go on and on. I will only say that I will no longer plan meetings in Orlando and I will, if given a choice, not ever return to conventions held here.

On our first night, a colleague and I ate at the bar at Bahama Breeze (we didn't want to wait the 40 minutes for a table). The onion ring appetizer was awesome. For my meal, I had a burger. It was really good and tasty – as good and tasty as a frozen burger patty can be. It seems like all their food comes pre-prepared from some central kitchen. It was fine, but unremarkable.

On the send night, we attended a private function at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. Now that is a grand hotel! It's just a shame that it's so far from the convention center (20 minutes) to make it a viable place for conventioneers.

On our third night, we ended up at another TGIMcFuckwald establishment – Miller’s Ale House. Also a chain, this place delivers mediocrity – in spades. The highpoint of the night was the glass of water. The craft beer special was fine, but not inspiring. The delux nacho appetizer was too light on cheese to be worthy of the name nachos. I had the fajitas which were a mixed bag (chicken was over cooked, beef was perfectly cooked and the veggies were essentially raw and uncooked). I couldn't wait to get out of there.

And finally, on the way out of town, Orlando International Airport is the only airport I think I've ever been to without a first class or preferred line. It also lacked an expert traveler line. So TSA has everyone (business travelers and DisneyWorld vacationers) in the same line. And they wonder why people were getting irritated and angry.

Compared to my previous trips to Orlando (here and here and here), this was a nightmare.

Mozart's Salzburg

2011-03-13T21:57:00.006-04:00

Day 5

On our second day in Salzburg, we woke up and had breakfast at our hotel – the Hotel Am Dom. They have a nice little breakfast and are very accommodating for us. We checked out of the hotel, but they allowed us to store our bags for the day.

We walked down to the river and crossed over into the new section of the city. In the New City, we walked along the Steingasse – an old medevial street that is extremely narrow.

Our morning goal was the Mozart-Wohnhaus or Mozart’s Residence. This museum had opened since my last visit to Salzburg in 1995. We found the museum to be pleasant, but not as robust as we had expected.

After the Mozart’s Residence, we had a quick coffee at the Stein Terrace, atop the Hotel Stein. This rooftop café looks out across the river at the heart of the old town and the fortress above the city. Thankfully, since this was a beautiful sunny day, it was nice to sit out to soak up the sun and drink our coffees.

Back in the Old Town, we went to Mozart’s Birthhouse (or Mozart Gerburtshaus). I had been here in 1995 and enjoyed it. In many ways, we felt this is a superior museum experience compared to the Mozart Residence across the river. This museum really tells the story of Mozart’s rise and his impact on the world. This is really the “can’t miss” Mozart site in Salburg.

After the Mozart Birthhouse, we headed a few alleys down the Getreidegasse. Our goal was a quick lunch at the Balkan Grill. The hot dogs at this place are amazing…and incredibly addictive. I could eat dozens of these things.

The day of sightseeing started to take its toll on us. We went to Café Furst for a coffee and cake. I had the coffee mélange (the classic Salzburg coffee). We also had cake and Mozartkogel – the candy that Salzburg is noted for.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Salzburg Cathedral and did the walking tour inside. We’ve been to dozens of European cathedrals

Salzburg is a wonderful city! We absolutely love Salzburg and can’t wait to get back here again soon! Unfortunately, our time in Salzburg was at an end and we had to take the train back to Munich.

Back in Munich, we checked into the Hotel Monaco. This place claims to be one of the top small hotels in Germany. We found it to be quaint and charming with staff who are really friendly. The room was spacious and comfortable. We did encounter a little street noise, but since it was the dead of winter, it wasn’t too loud. However, in the summer, I imagine the noise from the streets would be pretty impressive.

After checking in, we walked down to Marienplatz and went to Restaurant La Valle. We heard that this was place for pizza. We found the food to be pretty good. The pesto pasta special was excellent, but the pizza was pretty average. The service was…well…pretty bad. It started strong, but then our server pretty much disappeared.

After dinner, we went to Pusser’s New York Bar. I got a wonderful Moscow Mule cocktail. This was a wonderful evening and a great close to a trip.

Salzburg, Austria

2011-02-27T23:16:00.006-05:00

Day 4

We got up late from our hotel in Munich (the Courtyard by Marriott Munich) and took a the Railjet train to Salzburg. This high-speed train connects Munich with Budapest and I kind of wished we were continuing on to Hungry. I had previously been to Salzburg in the summer of 1995, but this was my wife's first time to Austria.

Salzburg, like Munich, sits in the foothills of the Alps. In addition to its quaint charm, Salzburg also gave us the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (for which I am grateful)...and The Sound of Music (for which I'm not). Salzburg is wonderfully delicate little town along the river. For this historical importance and charm, Salzburg’s city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We arrived at the Salzburg train station, which rather resembles Baghdad right now – it is undergoing a complete re-build. There, we purchased our Salzburg Cards at the Tourist Information Center and then took a taxi to our hotel: the Hotel Am Dom.

The Hotel Am Dom sits right off the main square down a small, pedestrian-only alley called Goldgasse. This hotel is downright funky. Our room reminded us a lot of a New York boutique hotel. I'd describe it as Elton John Goes to Austria. That sounds tacky, but the Hotel Am Dom is anything bu tacky. It's quirky and eccentric...and really nice.

We started our day with a Rick Steves walking tour of Old Town. We made it about three stops into the suggested route before heading off to lunch.

We had lunch just of Getreidegasse at a place called Wilder Mann. It's a classic Austian place serving up hearty fare in a simple atmosphere. You eat at shared tables. I had the specialty of the house – a Salzburger Schnitzel (pork) filled with bacon, onions and mushrooms. It was quite good, although very heavy and filling – like most food here. The ambiance was very charming and the service was snappy. All in all, the perfect place to dine for lunch.

After lunch we intended to take the funicular up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress. Unfortunately, the funicular is now closed (I couldn't tell if it was temporary or permanently, but they had imposing signs about it being closed and big heavy metal grates up – so it won't be re-opening anytime soon). So, we did the long, streneous walk up to the Fortress. I thought we both might pass out.

The Hohensalzburg Fortress is an impressive medieval fortification that towers over Old Town Salzburg. The views from the rampart walls are nice, but the view from the top tower (accessible only via the audioguide tour) was breathtaking. I love how Salzburg sits in this lush vally and the Alps tower to the South. The Audioguide tour was informative and I enjoyed the Tower and the "torture chamber," however, I don't think it would be worth waiting in a long line for (such as in the summers).

After the Fortress, we walked down and stopped at the Panorama Museum 1829. These Panorama paintings were common back in the period before photography and toured the world to promote tourism. The intense detail in the paintings, visible through telescopes is stunning. Also, given the museums proximity in town, it's a nice central place to use a clean bathroom for free (assuming you purchased the Salzburg Card). If you didn't purchase the Salzburg Card, this museum is probably skippable.

During the afternoon, we stopped at Cafe Tomaselli for a Coffee Melange. Dating from 1703, it is the classic Salzburg coffeehouse. Ironically, smoking is still permitted inside. It is so unusual to see this practice permitted in public spaces in a Western society. (Judging by the coughing of the old men who work here, the second-hand smoke has taken its toll on their health).

Down on Getreidegasse we found Sporer – an ancient store that makes licqours and brandies. We had seen it on several travel shows and just had to go. We sampled nearly 10 different liqours and particularly loved the apricot and the elderflower (nearly identical to St. Germain back home). My wife ended up buying a bottle of Apricot, Pear and Elderflower to take home.

Long-time readers of this blog will know that I'm on a tour of the world's greatest hotdog stands. From Brooklyn to Iceland, I search the best meat in tubular form. And Salzburg, Austria has a top contender: Balkan Grill (the sign in the passageway says Bosna Grill). I claim this to be one of the world's greatest hotdog stands. And I can back that up. First, the stand has only 5 menu options (hotdogs with mustard, ketchup, curry spice, onions, and parsley in varying combinations). The #2 (with mustard, parsley, onion, and curry spice) is considered the "classic" and their biggest seller. The #5 with ketchup is considered the kids version. Also, at Balkan Grill you get 2 hotdogs (which taste like bratwurst, but are small like hotdogs) on one bun! (The bun looks like a standard hotdog bun that has gone through a panini machine). Balkan Grill is one of the world's greatest hotdog stands. Period. End of discussion.

Later in the evening, we had sinner at the K+K Hotel Restaurant (the one on the first floor). Decorated in soft pine wood, this restaurant serves up first rate food that is both homey and refined. We had a deligful server named Nina, who was just fun. We started with a bottle of the Gruner Veltliner wine. Then, we both had large bowls of the pumpkin soup for starters (it was less heavy and more brothy than you expect in the U.S.). I opted for the pepper steak, which was excellent, except the spinich soufflé ball (not good). To conclude, we shared the light chocolate mousse dessert, which was also good.

After dinner, late at night, we finished the Rick Steves walking tour and took photos of the important sites in Salzburg all illuminated at night.

Tomorrow is another day in Salzburg.

Neuschwanstein and Munich, Germany

2011-02-17T20:52:00.006-05:00

Day 3

On our third day, we got up early and had a quick breakfast at the Courtyard by Marriott Munich. Then we boarded a train for Southern Bavaria and the King's Castles – Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein.

The trip from Munich to the King's Castles in the municipality of Schwangau takes about two hours and takes you back in time over 100 years. The castles, particularly Neuschwanstein, are not old. Hohenschwangau was completed in 1837 and Neuschwanstein was still unfinished when King Ludwig died in 1886.

The train dropped us in Fussen and we caught a quick cab up to the Schwangau village, where we purchased our tickets. From there, our first stop was the Hohenschwangau castle. The tour in English lasts 30 minutes and you learn about King Ludwig II's early life as well as how the royal family lived. The Hohenschwangau Castle was well appointed, but not over the top and garish.

After the Hohenschwangau Castle, we walked down into the town of Schwangau to have a quick bite to eat. Since this was winter and off-season, none of the snack stands were open. We risked a quick bite at the restaurant at the Schlosshotel Lisl. They did accommodate us with a meal of bratwurst, kraut (served cold like coleslaw) and a pretzel. The meal was good. I think it could be aptly described as a "gut bomb." However, it meant we were rushed to get the bus and then literally had to run from the bus stop to Neuschwanstein to make our entrance time. (For both Castles, you have a ticket with a time and about a 4 minute window to enter before you are locked out).

Neuschwanstein was all we thought it would be. It's over-the-top and self-absorbed. King Ludwig II dedicated the castle to the music of Richard Wagner – which means you get all the iconography associated with this.

From the Neuschwanstein Castle, we took the horse-drawn cart back down to the village. This is completely unnecessary, but it was an experience. Normally, we eschew this kind of animal cruelty; however, the horses appeared well cared for and were living up to their purpose. It was a pleasant little ride.

The trip back to Munich was uneventful, but we had to changed trains in Buchloe – allowing me to recall a miserable layover here with my parents almost 15 years ago.

For dinner, we decided to go back to the vegetarian restaurant Prinz Myshkin. For starters, we shared the Zen Sticks (nice, but not exceptional) and Norimaki rolls (excellent and fresh). The wife had the samosa, which were not like classic samosas and more like large calzones, but had a really punchy flavor. I opted for the curry Diablo – as its name implies, this dish is inspired by the devil and will kick your ass with spice. It's excellent!

After dinner, we went to the famed Hoffbrauhaus. No trip to Munich is complete without a visit to this top-rated tourist attraction. Being a Sunday night, the place was in a subdued celebration – compared to the frenetic pace of a Friday or Saturday night. Give the history of the Hoffbrauhaus – site where Adolf Hitler rose to power – it is an important cultural and historical spot.

Tomorrow we head to Salzburg, Austria.

Munich, Germany and Dachau Concentration Camp

2011-02-13T21:34:00.004-05:00

Day 2

On our second day in Munich, we woke up at our hotel (Courtyard by Marriott Munich) and had a nice breakfast. It's a standard business hotel breakfast – a cross between an American breakfast (eggs, which were terrible, and sausage, which was excellent, etc.) and a European breakfast (lots of bread, cold cuts, salad, and musseli).

After breakfast, we walked down to Marienplatz to climb the tower at the Neues Rathaus, only to learn that the tower is closed on weekends – a pity. We spent 10 minutes watching the little Glockenspiel figures dance around the tower as they celebrate a marriage. When you've seen it before, it isn't wildly impressive, however, it is one of those "classic Munich" things you just need to do when you're here.

From Marienplatz, we boarded the S2 train out to Dachau. It took a little while to figure out how to buy the Munich XXL Pass on the ticket machines, but we managed.

Dachau. This place needs no introduction. The place has become synonymous with "concentration camp" and "cruelty" and "torture." But Dachau is also a real town – a town that was a hip artists colony before the Nazi regime; a town that was a willing provider of supplies to the camp during the brutal Third Reich and a complacent partner to crimes against humanity; and a town trying to reclaim its name through a push to get people to see it for more than a Concentration Camp. Dachau is complicated.

The KZ-Gedenkstaette Dachau (or Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site and Museum) sits about 45 minutes from downtown Munich in what is now a very posh suburb. Dachau was the Nazi's first concentration camp and they refined their cruel processes here for over a decade. Dachau was “simply” a brutal work camp for political opponents. Dachau is also what happens when blind nationalism goes unchecked.

We spent an hour and half going through the Museum and watching the movie. (Note: Movie times in English are subject to change despite printed literature at the camp – and guidebooks like Rick Steves and Frommers. All of them had the wrong time for the movie.) The film itself isn’t highly instructive, but I do recommend it because seeing the museum first sets the tone for the experience of walking through the barracks, the vast open square, and the crematorium.

It's tough to put Dachau into words. I've been to many concentration camps in Germany: Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald (a couple of times) and Dachau previously. But I've always wondered 'how could this happen?' No matter what you read in books, you cannot fathom how an entire country could be duped by the Nazi's. But in recent years, I have started working for a large German industrial corporation and I now know how this could happen. I see the German culture (the arrogance, the self-righteousness, and the contempt Germans have for non-Germans, etc.) and I see how this could happen – how it was inevitable that it would happen. It's not far from Wittelsbacherplatz to the gates of Dachau – even to this day.

After touring the concentration camp, we walked around the town of Dachau (the few blocks bordering the train station). It was mostly small snack stands and stores selling all manner of goods. It was getting late and we didn’t push further into the town.

In the evening, we headed out to dinner at Weinhaus Neuner. The start of the meal was eventful – we were presented with a German-language menu. As Weinhaus Neuner changes its menu daily, it cannot print multiple-language versions. However, a fine gentleman who spoke perfect English translated for us. Despite a rather grotesque amuse buche of "mousse," our meal was excellent. We shared an appetizer of shrimp, eggplant and arugala with a tomato balsamic sauce (heavenly). For main entrees, we both had the Argentinian beef fillet crusted with onions and mustard, accompanied by a delicious potato and cheese side. For dessert, we had a chocolate mousse with champagne ice cream – a bit of a weak note after such a strong meal. Overall, this was my most expensive meal in Germany, but also one of the best.

Tomorrow we go to Neuswanstein.

Munich, Germany

2011-02-10T22:03:00.003-05:00

Day 1

I arrived in Munich from Nuremberg in the evening after a work conference. My wife had arrived early in the morning on a flight from the USA and we met at our hotel - Courtyard by Marriott Munich. When traveling abroad, we don't normally stay at American chain hotels. However, the given that we were here in off-season, prices were cheap. In fact, it was cheaper to stay at the Courtyard by Marriott than it was to stay at some of the local places. Plus, the Courtyard by Marriott had better Trip Advisor reviews.

The Courtyard by Marriott Munich is located just a blocked South of the main train station in a neighborhhod filled with hotels, hostels, strip clubs, casinos and Doner fast food stands. The neighborhood feels edgy, but still safe. And the hotel posts two pretty hostile looking guards outside the door to make sure stays that way. Despite being right on the main street, the rooms were extremely quiet. We could not have been happier with our hotel choice.

For dinner, we headed down to Prinz Myshkin – an extremely popular vegetarian restaurant near the old city. When you think Bavarian cuisine, you probably think sausage and heavy meats, but not vegetarian. Well, Prinz Myshkin offers up some amazing dishes. We split the mixed appetizer special and a bottle of gruner veltliner wine. I had the delectable vegan gnocchi pasta and the wife had zucchini buds. We split the apple struddle for dessert. I'm not a fruit dessert person, but even I gad to admit this was good. This place is excellent, although service was slow to start, but they rallied towards tip time.

We headed back to the hotel to go to bed early.

Green and Environmentalism in Germany

2011-02-10T20:54:00.002-05:00

I first visited Europe in 1999 and I remember being completely impressed with environmentalism and the Green lifestyle in Germany. I recall thinking how much more advanced Germany is in this respect compared to the United States. That was then.

In many ways, the United States is catching up and in some ways we have completely surpassed the Europeans. People in Europe are still addicted to their bottled water. This is a hugely energy intensive process and lots of CO2 is emitted in the bottling and distribution of water. In the US, most restaurants no longer serve bottled water as a conservation measure. But in Europe, they still enjoy this environemtally damaging luxury. It's sad really.

In staying in hotels, all hotels in Europe claim to be green. But I found this to be just green washing. The hotels don't offer in-room recycling, biodegradable soups, and energy efficient lighting. And nearly every hotel offers in-room bottled water – adding to the problem.

When I first came to Europe, I remember seeing all recycling bins in public places. On my most recent trip, it seems like they have completely disappeared. Most train stations had recycling back then, but those bins have been removed now.

Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Germany

2011-02-06T17:24:00.005-05:00

I recently went to Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Germany for a work conference. I had been to Nuremberg once before in the winter of 1999 while researching World War II, so it was nice to come back to this medevial city in the German heartland.

My home base on this trip was the NH Hotel Nuremberg, just across the street from the train station. NH Hotels don't have a reputation for being luxury in Germany – they are known for being just clean, comfortable business hotels (like a Courtyard by Marriott or a Hilton Garden Inn in the United States). I found the hotel to be fabulous, although the temperature was very warm in the hotel. The rooms are large and comfortable (American size; not European size), the breakfast was plentiful and spa/gym was excellent. They have beds that are custom-made for the hotel, which were extremely comfortable. They also put on a very nice breakfast buffet, which includes both European favorites (cold cuts, cheese, bread, musseli) as well as American staples (eggs, bacon, etc.). I could not have been happier with the NH Hotel Nuremberg.

I got into Nuremberg via train from Munich. I had a quick lunch at the train station (a Burger King Fondue Steakhouse sandwich – good, but weird) before heading out to explore Bamberg for the day. (More on that here).

I met up with a colleague for dinner in the Old City of Nuremberg at an Italian restaurant, Provenza. This place was perfect after a long day of traveling. I had the gnocchi pasta with a nice glass of Chianti wine. The gnocchi was excellent, but it was a huge, American-sized portion. This was a pleasant relaxed dinner on the main market square with good colleagues.

On the afternoon of the second day, we took a walking tour of Old Town Nuremberg. We stopped at the old town wall to inspect the fortifications from medevil times. Then we stopped at the main market to see the Church and Fountain. Finally, walking up to the castle to explore and take in the views. Nürnberg is a beautiful old medevil city and I just love walking around, taking pictures and soaking up the ambiance.

After our walking tour, we had dinner at the Zum Spiess Gesellen. This place features waiters in lederhosen and women in dirndls. The restaurant features traditional Franconian and Bavarian fare. We had beef medallions (overcooked), roast chicken (delicious), heavy vegetable soup, a pasta with vegetables, warm breads and lots and lots and lots of beer. The food was very rich and heavy and the ambiance caters to the tourists. In the summer, I imagine this place is packed with the tour bus crowd, but in the dead of winter, it was very pleasant for our band of colleagues.

If you have to have a business trip to Germany during the dead of winter, Nuremberg is a nice place to do it.

ATMs in Europe

2011-02-04T21:34:00.001-05:00

Every time I travel to Europe, I am frustrated by using the ATMs. No, language is not the problem. Note denomination is the problem.

ATMs in Europe dispense Euro 50 notes. If you withdraw Euro 200, you'll get 3 Euro 50 notes, 2 Euro 20 and a Euro 5. The Euro 20 and Euro 5 are easy to spend. The Euro 50 notes are difficult to spend. Merchants in Europe don't want to accept the Euro 50 bill. Taxi drivers will flat refuse. It's a real challenge to use Euro 50 notes.

Bamberg, Germany

2011-02-02T22:37:00.006-05:00

Several years ago, I had a summer intern from Bamberg, Germany work for me in the USA. She kept talking about how wonderful her hometown of Bamberg is. So on a recent trip to Germany, I finally got the chance to see it.

Bamberg sits in the North of a region called Franconia in the German State of Bavaria. Bamberg is about 55 minutes North of Nuremberg (or about 2 hours North of Munich). And getting to Bamberg is a breeze on the train (just Euro 9.40 from Nuremberg).

When you arrive in Bamberg, you are greeted by block after block of non-descript office buildings. And you begin to think – how in the hell can this possibly be a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Well it is.

But once you cross the big steel modern bridge, everything changes. First you encounter a long pedestrian zone. Then, the roads turn to cobblestones and narrow considerably and soon you are walled in by half-timber buildings. It's straight out of a fairy tale.

As the streets narrow, you encounter a tiny little island in the river, which houses the town hall – or Alte Rathaus. I skipped the little museum, instead enjoying the paintings on the exterior of the town hall building.

The Kaiserdom, or just The Dom (Imperial Cathedral), atop the hill is surprisingly tasteful for a large Catholic Cathedral. The church also boasts to be the only Cathedral north of the Alps to be the final resting place for a Pope. In this case, Pope Clemens II is interned in marble up on the choir alcove. You can see it from afar, but not well. However, there's a good picture in the little publication available at the entrance for Euro 1.

The whole old city is just quaint as heck and I see why some of my work commrades chose to stay in Bamberg instead of in Erlangen.

Egypt

2011-01-31T21:10:00.002-05:00

Last month, we booked ourselves into a 12-day trip to Egypt with Intrepid Travel. This was supposed to be the trip-of-a-lifetime for my mother-in-law (who will come with us) for her birthday.

Our itinerary will be:
Day 1: Cairo
Day 2: Cairo
Day 3: Alexandria
Day 4: Alexandria
Day 5: Aswan
Day 6: Nile Cruise
Day 7: Nile Cruise
Day 8: Nile Cruise
Day 9: Luxor
Day 10: Luxor
Day 11: Cairo
Day 12: Cairo

But now, unfortunately, the last week of pro-democracy protests and violence have us very worried. We have some time before our trip, but we’re scared.

Holland America Mariner Society

2011-01-31T20:56:00.002-05:00

Holland America has a loyalty program for frequent cruisers – the Mariner Society. This came to mind today when we received our 2-Star Mariner pin in the mail. That’s 30 days at sea.

Winds of Change in Washington, D.C.

2011-01-30T20:50:00.002-05:00

I recently had to go to Washington, D.C. for business in what happened to be the week the new Congress was sworn in. As the winds of change blow America back towards to the center, I slipped into town.

On the trip, I used the Homewood Suites Washington, D.C. as my home base. It's a bit out of the way in the Thomas Circle area, but was very clean and the staff were extraordinarily helpful – far more than you would expect from a lower-end, extended-stay hotel. I love suite hotels like this. They just feel more comfortable after a long day of work.

On the first night, a colleague and I grabbed takeout from Thai Tanic – the local Thai and pan-asian establishment. Usually when hotel staff recommend a restaurant, I'm skeptical. But the Thai Tanic exceeded all expectations. I had a delicious vegetarian spring roll and the house specialty – chicken pad thai. The food was excellent! We picked up our order at the restaurant, which was quaint inside – a very neighborhood joint (and only 2 blocks from the hotel). We wished we'd dined in, but we had a very early morning planned so didn't want to stay out late.

The next night, we dined with a small group at Founding Farmers. This restaurant is a co-op owned by a few thousand farmers. They serve local and sustainable products. Everything is fresh - really fresh. For a healthy dining establishment, they have a terrific cocktail and wine program! For appetizers, we shared a crustini bread with cured pork product, fried green tomatoes (which are awsome!) and some crazy melted cheesy thing that was wickedly good. For dinner, I really couldn't decide. I told our uber-knowledgable and perky server, Audrey, to pick for me (groundrules - no fish, price is not an object, and generally what folks love). Audrey did not disappoint. She returned with an AMAZING short rib on the bone. It was unbelievable – fall-off-the-bone tender with the perfect mix of muscle and fat. Overall, Founding Farmers is a home run!

This brief trip reminded me how much I love DC and that its a great foodie town.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

2011-01-27T20:12:00.006-05:00

After our Christmas cruise on Holland America's ms Westerdam, we decided to stay over an extra night and celebrate New Year's in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

We headed over to the Hyatt Regency Pier 66. Our rooms weren't ready, but the concierge, Dave, hooked us up with a rental car and plans for the day.

We picked up the rental car at Gold Coast Rental Cars about 10 minutes away from the hotel and headed out on I-595 to the Everglades. We went to the Sawgrass Recreation Park for an airboat tour. We immediately saw two alligators sunning themselves. Another reed patch down, we saw another alligator. And while getting a nature talk, we saw an osprey take off with a just-caught fish. Overall, we expected this airboat ride to be a little cheesey, but this was an awesome experience!

We had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe at the Sawgrass Mills Mall. Service was painfully slow (it took almost an hour between our order and when our food showed up). Then the girls spent several hours doing what girls do best - shopping.

Dinner at Market 17 was good. Despite a 9:00pm reservation, we weren't seated until 9:35pm. Market 17 features an extensive wine list, but many of the wines were out of stock on the night we were there. I opted for the four course tasting menu of: black truffle ravioli; tenderloin of Elk from Texas; lobster thermedor (served beautifully on the half shell); and finally the chocolate chocolate dessert. The service was top notch, the food was good. I like that they list the provenance for their ingredients. Overall, we found Market 17 to be really good. Although it just opened, I hope it has staying power.

We retired to our room on the 13th floor of the Hyatt Pier 66 to watch the fireworks and parade of boats on the InterCoastal at midnight. We could see out over 20 miles and could see dozens of fireworks displays. It was fabulous! And thanks to my Platinum Gold Passport status (and an awesome upgrade from the Hyatt Twitter folks), we were sitting cozy in a Junior Suite. It was huge (almost as big as my room at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai)! The rooms in the tower at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 are wonderful!

In the morning, we drove into the Fort Lauderdale Beach area and had breakfast at Spazio. It's a trendy little place for the hipsters that looks out on the water. However, the brunch was fantastic and a splendid value ($45 for 3 people).

After dropping off the rental car, we lounged in the Hyatt's fabuluous heated pools and hottub before heading to the airport. In the future, we'd definitely make the Hyatt Pier 66 part of our pre-cruise experience.

Sadly, our Christmas vacation came to an end. We kissed goodbye to the sun and bundled up for the flight back to Philadelphia.

Holland America Towel Animals

2011-01-26T21:23:00.002-05:00

One of the things I liked on our Holland America cruise was the towel animals. Every night, our Indonesian cabin steward would fold out the towel and, during the course of the trip, a whole zoo paraded its way through our room.

We loved the towel animals!

Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas

2011-01-24T20:49:00.004-05:00

Day 7

Holland America has their own private Carribean island that they incorporate into as many of their cruises as possible. This Bahamian Island, technically known as Little San Salvador, is called Half Moon Cay by Holland America. We've always viewed this as a bit of a throw away - a chance for Holland America to squeeze more money out of cruisers instead of offering them a real port of call.

Our first trip to Half Moon Cay was a bit miserable – it was three years ago, it was cold, the water was freezing and it was really windy. Who would want that? Instead of seeing Nassau or Freeport or someplace "real" in the Bahamas, Holland America offers a caged pen to wallow around in – a sanitized experience. Going to HAL's island is like going to Disney World and thinking you're seeing Europe because of Epcot. Whatever Half Moon Cay is, it is NOT travel.

That was then. This time, we loved it! The weather was great, we could actually get into the ocean and enjoy ourselves. Sure, you're still a captive audience and there are no opportunities to do anything other than the beach (no town to visit, no cultural attractions, etc.). And you're still stuck in a caged pen, but it can be fun (IF the weather cooperates)!

We had initially looked at booking one of the private cabannas for the day, but they were all sold out. Instead, we rented two of the clam shells - a significant savings over the cabannas (and this was all we really needed). We got off the ship around 10:00am and spent the day lounging in the sun, reading in our clam shell and drinking tropical beverages. They've also built a giant replica pirate ship to house a new bar since the last time we were here.

They had a BBQ lunch on shore from 11:30-1:00. Unfortunately, whoever did the planning had some real trouble – by 12:00 they were out of ketchup, by 12:15 they were out of mustard and by 12:30 they were out of just about everything else. My recommendation is that you should go early (REALLY early) before they run out of food. By 2:00, with a sunburn in progress and two strong tropical cocktails in my system, it was time to board the Westerdam again.

When we booked this particular cruise, we were really dreading Half Moon Cay. At one point, we even discussed skipping going ashore altogether. However, we really enjoy our experience this time around.

For dinner, we had booked ourselves into the Pinnacle Grill. Many Holland America cruisers never do this, chafing at the extra $20 per person cost. While the food on the ship is good, I find the Pinnicle Grill to be an exceptional experience and worth every penny.

In the evening, we had cocktails in the piano bar and listened to the pianoman – Randall Powell – singing old hits.

Sadly we had to go back to our room and pack. And so ends our Holiday Cruise 2010 on Holland America's ms Westerdam.

The High Swells of the Atlantic

2011-01-23T21:50:00.002-05:00

Day 6

The sixth day of our Holland America holiday cruise had us sailing from the U.S. Virgin Islands to The Bahamas in some pretty rough seas.

I do love sea days and this one was no exception. I slept in late and had a late light breakfast. Then I headed down to the Promenade deck where I found a cushioned lounge chair to alternately finish reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and napping.

I met up with the wife and the inlaws for a late lunch, followed by more reading on deck and more napping. This was followed by the serious power nap down in the stateroom. In all seriousness, given how stressful the last four months have been at work, this kind of "re-charge" is exactly what I needed.

Before dinner, our motley crew gathered in the Navigator's Lounge to listen to music and get our photos taken while waiting for dinner. We also took a few awkward family photos. Dinner was excellent: a surf and turf special.

After dinner, we went up to the Crow's Nest Bar for a nightcap before bed. On the ms Westerdam, they make a mean Cucumber Lime Slice cocktail, which I just love.

Tomorrow we are in Half Moon Cay in The Bahamas for a day on the beach.

St. Thomas and Trunk Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

2011-01-21T22:50:00.004-05:00

Day 5

Our Holland America cruise made port in Crown Bay, St. Thomas early in the morning. Crown Bay neighbors the main city of Charlotte Amalie. We were one of the first off the boat and hailed a cab to Red Hook early in the morning. Our goal was the 9am ferry to St. John – and we made it (just barely). Thankfully only one other cruise ship (a Carnival Cruise Lines vessel) would be in port that day and they were about a half hour behind us.

Holland America offered a shore excursion to St. John and snorkling at Trunk Bay for $79. We were convinced we could do it cheaper and have more fun if we went on our own - and we were right.

Going to St. John for the day was absolutely the right call. It's mostly a National Park – beautiful, unspoiled and quiet. It was so easy to do this trip on our own. And we had no problems. It was a $12 cab from Crown Bay to Red Hook (all prices per person). Then a $6 ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay in St. John. Then another $6 taxi from Cruz Bay to Trunk Beach, where it costs only $4 to get in (we have our own snorkel gear). That's compared to the $79 (cost) for the shore excursion. Plus, they didn't get to Trunk Bay until nearly 40 minutes after we did and they had to leave almost an hour before we did.

Trunk Bay is a gorgeous beach, with beautiful sand and a small barrier island. There is a short underwater snorkel course that took us about an hour to complete (including the time going all the way out to the end of the barrier island). We grabbed a quick lunch at Trunk Bay before heading back to Cruz Bay and St. Thomas.

St. John, Virgin Islands is absolutely gorgeous. It is an amazingly beautiful island – white sand, deep blue water and lush green hills. This is quite possibly the most perfect Carribean island I’ve ever seen. We want to come back here for a week and stay at the Westin St. John.

We got back to downtown Charlotte Amalie around 2pm and walked Main Street, popping into a few of the stores. My sister-in-law and wife bought two t-shirts, which sister-in-law left in the taxi on the way back to the Crown Bay cruise ship terminal.

We gathered as a group for a nice dinner that evening and swapped stories. Mother-in-law had spent the day shopping and acquired a Movado watch, opal earrings and a small purse. After dinner, Holland America had a magician for entertainment: Garin Bader. He was just OK. He spent too long on card tricks that people couldn't really see. And then it just got really, really weird when brought out this assistant to do a box trick and she was freakishly hyper and twirling around in purple tights. We jumped the shark there.

Tomorrow is a blissfully relaxing day at sea.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

2011-01-12T16:37:00.007-05:00

Day 4

After living in New York City for so many years, I have come to look on Puerto Rico in a pretty unfavorable light. The annual Puerto Rican Day parade in New York is one of the most dangerous days of the year and any decent person finds a reason to leave New York for the weekend. Despite this, my parents (very experienced world travelers) had come to Puerto Rico a few years ago and just raved about it. So our visit to San Juan, Puerto Rico on this Holland America cruise was filled with a mix of intrigue and dread.

There is much that is wonderful about Puerto Rico, but first was our Holland America run shore excursion: San Juan City Tour and Bacardi Distillery (cost for the Holland America shore excursion is $44). The tour could have been called: Bacardi Distillery Tour and Bus Ride. The tour was a huge disappointment as we didn't really get to see much of historic San Juan - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. There was no “city tour.”

Prior to our boat landing in San Juan, people raved about the Casa Bacardi Tour. We thought it average, and certainly not worth the hour and twenty minute wait for the tour. You board a little open-air bus that drives you about 100 yards, let's you off to explore a four room museum (complete with a 7 minute video) and you don't see any actual rum production. The obligatory gift shop has nice stuff but in my "real life" I'm paid to hawk products for companies and get my picture taken doing it, so I don't want to pay someone for the privilege of advertising for them.

On the way back from the Bacardi Tour, the driver took us through New San Juan (constituting the 5 minute "city tour" part of our experience) and then dropped us off in the Old Town to explore on our own. All in all, the Holland America shore excursion was a huge disappointment. But with the Holland America “San Juan City Tour and Bacardi Distillery” shore excursion complete, we were able to immerse ourselves in what is wonderful about San Juan, Puerto Rico.

After being dropped in the Old Town at the Plaza de Colon (commemorating Christopher Columbus' re-discovery of the New World – after Leif Ericson and the Vikings found the place previously), we took a cab up to the old fort called Fuerte San Felipe del Morro. Unfortunately, it closes at 6pm, so we were unable to go inside and could only take pictures outside. But the fort is beautiful at night! We wandered our way down though the cobble-stoned streets peeking into a few stores as well as watching a Christmas light display set to music on a government building. This short little walk gave us a taste of the charm of Old San Juan - just enough so we really got to understand just what we missed.

We boarded our ship and had a quick dinner at the pool party, while watching the ship set sail from port. The views of San Juan are captivating at night.

Despite my apprehension of things Puerto Rican due to attitudes and behaviors in New York City, I found that San Juan is absolutely someplace I'd come back to further explore, particularly to go into the Fort San Felipe and also the neighboring Fuerte San Cristobal.

Scuba Diving in Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos

2011-01-08T15:27:00.004-05:00

Day 3

For our day in Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos, we arranged for an independent dive with Blue Water Divers. Grand Turk is an extremely small island (just 7 miles by about 2 miles), so I'm glad we booked a shore activity in advance. The cruise ships all have contacts with Oasis Divers, which operate these massive bus-like dive boats. This isn't our style. I've done that before and you end up diving to the lowest level member in the group, not your ability or your computer. And Holland America charges $119 for their diving shore excursion. In contrast, with Blue Water Divers, it was just the four of us and an instructor (for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who are not certified). Yes, we paid a premium for this experience, but we got exactly what we wanted.

We left the ship early and hired a taxi to take us to the downtown area of Cockburn, where the dive shop is located. Taxi is $5 per person and the trip took only about 10 minutes driving past the outskirts of the airport and semi-industrial area.

Once at Blue Water Divers, we got checked in and rented the necessary gear. Blue Water Divers shop is quite small, but nice and has everything you need. The seas were slightly rough, so we were not able to depart from the beach in front of the dive shop. Instead, Blue Water Divers' owner Mitch drove us back down almost to the cruise ship (on the south end) where we boarded our little boat and met up with our instructor Nat.

He took us out onto the wall, which is only about 400 yards off shore. We tossed anchor and descended down. The top of the wall was at about 38 feet and cascades gently down in tiers (like in Cozumel; not a sheer vertical drop like in Grand Cayman). Immediately on entering the water, we spotted several large sting rays on the sand below. As we approached the edge of the wall, we encountered a nice sized sea turtle - she was beautiful and I wished we had been able to get a little closer.

After the first dive, we did a one hour surface interval. By this point, the wind and waves had picked up considerably - making it pretty sporty out there. We got banged around a bit getting back on the boat. The second dive gave us more of the same in terms of sea life – sting rays. Our instructor Nat found a huge crab in a crevice of the rocks and pointed it out to us. But, we didn't see any of the dreaded lionfish.

Our instructor Nat dropped us off on the beach just about 300 yards from our boat. We came back on board and took naps from our full day out diving (diving is hard work!).

Back on Holland America’s Westerdam that night, the Beatles tribute band, Hard Day's Night did a show of old Beatles covers. They were pretty good, although struggled on some of the higher notes. The audience was getting into it and a few ladies were dancing down in front of the stage. It was a nice end to a good day.

Tomorrow is San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Christmas Day at Sea on Holland America

2011-01-07T22:33:00.003-05:00

Day 2

Our Holland America Holiday Cruise had us at sea for Christmas Day. We slept in and then headed up to the Lido Deck on the Westerdam for the Christmas Brunch. The Brunch was good, although the lines were long due to the “amended procedures to prevent the spread of disease.” Despite the long lines, it was wonderful.

For the sea day, we just wanted to relax. After brunch, we went up to the Observation Deck and soaked up some sun for a couple of hours. The girls took naps and read, while I passed the time by reading a good book (Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain - the irony of reading this book on a cruise was not lost on me).

Before we got sunburns, we headed down to the Lido Deck for lunch. As we sat by the pool, we had a quick lunch. Then we went down to the Pinnacle Bar and the big comfy chairs to exchange Christmas presents. While many people don’t think being in a warm tropical place is very Christmassy, we love it! After exchanging a few stocking stuffers, we went to high Christmas tea. The tea selection was really extensive. For the afternoon, I spent more time reading in the afternoon before walking the Promenade Deck for exercise.

Around 6pm, we went up to the Observation Deck bar - the highest spot on the ship - for a sunset cocktail and the team trivia challenge. Our family team lost at trivia (handedly). The trivia was holiday themed – not our strongest area.

With Holland America, one of the benefits of the As You Wish dining is that you can still make reservations for a specific time. So we had made dinner reservations for 8pm in the dining room. Unfortunately, the Christmas dinner service had a few hiccups (the only real problem we experienced our whole trip). After ordering, we waited 45 minutes for bread. Our wine was gone, by the time our food arrived – over an hour later.

The evening program was Broadway Showtunes. It was pretty good if you're into that kind of thing. I’m not into it, but the girls all seemed to enjoy it.

Tomorrow, we are scuba diving in Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos.

Holland America Holiday Cruise 2010 from Fort Lauderdale

2011-01-03T20:27:00.005-05:00

Day 1

For Christmas 2010, we decided to book a 7-day Caribbean cruise with Holland America aboard the ms Westerdam. Our ports would be Turks & Caicos, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas. As it turns out, this was a bit of a homecoming for me. My very first cruise ever was a holiday cruise aboard Holland America’s Westerdam about six years ago when the ship was brand new.

On our first day, we flew into Fort Lauderdale and then took a cab over to the cruise port. Holland America offers this airport transfer service, but we found it to be much cheaper to do it on our own (just a $12 cab ride). We were on the ship by 2:00 and having lunch by 2:30. Holland America has started a new policy where you can’t serve yourself at the buffets for the first 48 hours of a trip. This is to minimize the risk of Norwalk virus contamination. But it results in extremely long lines for food and tremendous wait times. As someone who studies workflows and does process improvements for a living, this was a bit tedious – there has to be a better way.

Around 4:15pm, we did the obligatory lifeboat meeting and safety check, followed promptly by the bon voyage cocktail. We wandered the ship getting the lay of the land, before a 7:00pm dinner. This time around, we did the As You Wish dinner seating and have found it to be much to our liking. There are a lot more time options, so we like that. First night's dinner was a mango Thai crab cake appetizer with wasabi sauce; a squash soup; and vegetable risotto; followed by pumpkin pie - a nice Christmas Eve meal.

After dinner, we went to the trivia game show (a la Jeopardy - it was kind of lame). We then retired to the Piano Bar for a couple of Christmas songs and a cocktail before calling it a night. We had booked the economy inside cabin, which lacks the seating bench of the outside cabin. So, that meant we had less luggage room than we've had on previous cruises.

Tomorrow is a relaxing day at sea.

Deceptive Airline Advertisements

2011-01-02T21:47:00.002-05:00

You’ve seen the commercials – claiming to be the low fare, fun airline that doesn’t charge baggage fees or change fees. Have you flown Southwest Airlines lately?

Go fly Southwest. See how fun it is now. And then try to change your flight on Southwest Airlines. I was forced by my company to fly Southwest on a business trip last year. I needed to change my flight to an earlier flight. I wanted to put my name on a standby list for an earlier flight. Southwest doesn’t offer standby. Instead, Southwest said I could change my flight for $316. So when is a change fee not a change fee? When you fly Southwest Airlines. Other airlines charge change fees, but they are at least honest about it. And other airlines offer you the opportunity to fly standby.

With Southwest, don’t believe the hype…and their deceptive advertisements.

Hottest Travel Destinations for 2011

2011-01-02T16:47:00.003-05:00

It seems at this time of year, everyone is offering up their thoughts on the hottest things for the New Year. We are no exception. So, here we offer our list of the hottest travel destinations for 2011:

Peru – The Year of Peru was supposed to be 2010. However, the massive rain storms, flooding and subsequent carnage disrupted tourism to Machu Picchu, Peru’s top tourist destination. That's all in the past. Peru is back and tops our list of top travel spots for 2011. Read about our trip to Peru here.

Spain – Last year, President Obama's family took a lengthy vacation to Spain. While the First Family was criticized for the extravagance of this vacation in the midst of a financial crisis, it does show just how hot Spain is these days. Plus, with the country having been hit by the global recession harder than other EU countries, Spain is courting foreign travel dollars. Read about our trip to Spain here.

Ireland – Ireland’s economy has suffered near-total collapse in the global recession. The country has kept its pride and was reluctant to acknowledge the full extent of the trouble. Now that they have, Ireland is offering some AMAZING travel deals. Read about our trip to Ireland here.

Israel – The country has been relatively peaceful of late, despite the ongoing Palestinian disputes. However, there's a feeling that Israel is a powder-keg. Now is the time to see it before it explodes. Once things erupt, there's no telling how long it will take for peace to return.

New Orleans – New Orleans is back. The city is enjoying a post-Katrina revival and the Gulf Oil Spill hasn't damaged the heart of the city. Many significant conventions will be returning to New Orleans in 2011 and the city is still basking in the glow of a championship level team: the New Orleans Saints. Get ready for New Orleans to knock your socks off.

Finally, an “almost” made the list:
Egypt – Egypt has been on the tourist map for over a hundred years and the country’s pyramid’s are one of the top tourist destinations in the world. However, over the last 10 years, violent attacks on tourists are on the increase and the country is becoming increasingly polarized. Security concerns in Egypt weigh heavy and keep it from making this year’s top destinations list (although, it won’t keep us from traveling there ourselves a little later this year).

Brunch in Chicago

2010-12-23T21:46:00.004-05:00

Day 3

In Chicago over a weekend, we went and had a nice brunch at Frontera Grill. I've long wanted to go Rick Bayless' flagship restaurant and this was my chance. We started with a chips and salsa duo as well as the Rancheros appetizer. For my main course, I had the spicy steak and eggs enchiladas. Warning - they were REALLY spicy, almost unpleasantly so. But the coffee was positively divine! Service was good. All in all, I'd definitely recommend Frontera Grill.

After our delicious brunch, I headed off for a long to work in Chicago. But, at the end of the day, we hit the BIG Bar in the Hyatt Regency Hotel. We had appetizers for dinner and I had a delicious Modern Moscow Mule cocktail. This bar can get packed with the young and trendy as they mix with convention goers. All in all, a really lively scene.

Long Grove, Illinois and Superdawg

2010-12-19T16:22:00.004-05:00

We were staying in downtown Chicago for a convention and got up early, heading out to the quaint village of Long Grove, Illinois. I had been here almost 15 years ago and had some positive memories, so I thought it would be a nice little trip to experience the holiday season. Long Grove sits about an hour north and west of Chicago in Lake County. At one time the village was hopping with boutique stores and a half dozen restaurants, although we found it to be a little quieter on this cold winter day.

On arriving in town, we parked in one of the large city lots and headed over for a delightful lunch at The Village Tavern in Long Grove. We sat in the bar and away from all of the kids/families in the main restaurant. We couldn’t have been happier with The Village Tavern. We had a cup of chili and a massive burger. Both were heavenly! And the ambiance in the bar area was very nice.
After lunch, we wandered around town popping in and out of the little stores. We bought some carmel popcorn at the Long Grove Popcorn Shoppe. And in the general store, the Farmside Grocery and Winery, we bought some drinks to take with us. After spending a couple of hours wandering around, we headed back in to Chicago.

On the way into downtown Chicago, we stopped at the foodie mecca known as Superdawg. I'd been to the Wheeling location several times on work business trips, but this was a first to that original temple of meat in tubular form. Delightful! I can clearly see what an iconic institution Superdawg is to Chicagoans.

Instead of taking the highway back into the city, we took the old Milwaukee Avenue. It was fascinating to see the neighborhoods change from Polish to Latin to hipster. We come to Chicago often but never has the chance to see anything outside of downtown or the suburbs of Wheeling and Deerfield.

After watching some football in the hotel, we went to Weber Grill for dinner. We ate in one of the booths right by the kitchen and it was really loud! But our steaks were excellent! After dinner, we went to the AMC East 21 theater complex and caught the Harry Potter, the Deathly Hallows, Part I film. All in all, a damn fine day in Chicago.

The covered bridge in Long Grove:

The shops in Long Grove:

Superdawg:

Thanksgiving in Chicago

2010-12-18T23:04:00.003-05:00

Every year, I have to travel to Chicago for Thanksgiving for a business convention. This year was no different. My wife traveled with me and my parents traveled in as well. It was great to have the family together.

For Thanksgiving Day, we had brunch at the InterContinental Hotel. They offer quite a spread – a breakfast station with eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, mountains of fresh fruit, plus cereals and chesses. They offered an array of holiday specialties from pumpkin soap, gnocchi, veal, and short ribs. Finally, they had a traditional thanksgiving meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and ham. All of it was delicious. The desserts were also very, very good. This was first time inside the InterContinental Chicago and I enjoyed the ambiance. The painted ceilings were heavenly.

In the afternoon, we went to Whiskey Bar and Grill to watch the Dallas Cowboys game. It was sad loss for the Cowboys and it looked for a while like they would pull it out, but it was not to be and the New Orleans Saints ended up with the victory. We left the bar and headed into the cold.

In the evening, we headed to Second City to catch the show "Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies." We're in love with Allison Bills. We saw her at a Second City show last year and she's just amazing. We're huge fans. The show was terrific, but the third improv act was a little off - they just didn't gel together. We had a bite of pizza at the show and found the food to be pretty good (better than I remember it to be from last year).

All in all, a wonderful Thanksgiving in Chicago.

Only New York Going On

2010-12-15T21:06:00.003-05:00

I recently had to attend the Financial Writer's Association dinner in New York. The event was a bit of a boondoggle - lots of networking and small talk, corporate honchos accompanied by young lady arm candy and alcohol, lots of alcohol. Given the state of the economy, it felt inappropriate, but I had to go and kiss some rear.

I did not want to travel back to Pennsylvania in the middle of night, so the wife came up and we made a weekend of it. Instead of staying at the Marriott Marquis ($499 per night), we opted for the Westin Times Square ($323) - and probably had a better experience.

I had stayed at The Westin Times Square five years ago and it looks like they have done a little renovation. I come to New York a lot on business and, in comparison to other hotels, the rooms are positively spacious. And despite being in the heart of Times Square, I found it easy to get a cab at all hours of day or night.

Staying the night in New York afforded us the opportunity to go back to our favorite lounge/bar in New York - Temple Bar. This darkly lit gem in the Village was a favorite of ours for years when we lived in Manhattan. After we moved away, we still came back here frequently when visiting friends in the city. We love the specialty cocktails and the chocolate chameleon dessert.

The next day, we headed right back to the Village for brunch. Next to Temple Bar is NoHo Star. This was our de facto brunch spot for years. We were joined by our friend David and Oli (long-time readers of this blog will remember Oli from our Basel, Switzerland adventure). The NoHo Star is legendary. The famous people eat here. We've seen many a celebrity, movie star, and musician here over the years. Our friend David swears by the french toast and fresh squeezed OJ, but I usually end up with some form of omelet.

After living in New York City for many years, we love it when we have the chance to come back here.

Hershey, Pennsylvania

2010-12-12T21:34:00.006-05:00

Hotel Hershey - The Hotel Hershey sits high on a hill overlooking the town of Hershey and the amusement park. This is one of the Historic Hotels of America and was built in 1933. It's a grand old hotel that has been well maintained. We were here on a beautiful October Saturday and the hotel was filled with wedding parties. The hotel offers complimentary valet parking, which was essential for us being in and out of the hotel several times.

We had a fourth floor room with a king-sized bed that looked over the town and the amusement park. The room was a bit on the small side, but was well appointed and the bathrooms were quite nice.

For dinner, we ate in the Circular Dining Room. We both had the lobster bisque for starters. For mains, I had the wonderful duck breast, with the red quinoa. My wife had the beef filet, which was probably the tenderest piece of beef she's ever had. For dessert, we split the peanut butter pie, which was exceptional! This is a very traditional fine dining experience, although our server lacked a personality and was a little on the slow side.

Of course, people come to Hershey for the amusement park – Hershey Park. We were in October for Hershey in the Dark. All the rides were renamed to Halloween-themed attractions (thinks like Boo-tastic, etc.). This was our first time in Hershey Park. Our love is roller coasters – particularly steel coasters. And Hershey Park has a lot of them. We rode about 5 or 6 coasters in our time in Hershey Park. It was great!

Our package also came with tickets to take the Hershey Trolley – essentially a tour of the little town of Hershey and the factory. It was nice to have a behind the scenes view of the Milton Hershey School.

Last Day in Reykjavik, Iceland

2010-12-08T21:25:00.006-05:00

Day 10

We had breakfast at the Centerhotel Klopp and headed out into the city. Thankfully, for our final day in Iceland, the weather cleared and we had clear skies!

We headed straight up to Hallgrímskirkja (Hallgríms Church) – the iconic landmark atop the hill that can be seen from everywhere in Reykjavik. It’s free to go into the church, which resembles some kind of ice cave inside. The organ is the only thing inside the church that isn’t a shade of light gray. To go up the observation tower costs a few bucks and is definitely worth it. You can take the elevator up, but then you need to climb three flights of stairs onto a viewing platform. The platform offers archways looking out into the four directions. The view isn’t as stunning as you might imagine, but I’m glad we did it. Downtown Reykjavik is very colorful when viewed from above.

My wife was enthralled by the statue of Leifr Eiricsson out in front of the church. It was gift from the people of the United States in 1930 recognizing that Leif Ericson was the discoverer of America – not the Christopher Columbus idiot. There’s something refreshing about the honesty of recognizing the real discoverer of the new world.

As this was our last day “in country,” we headed down to the tourist office to get our VAT refund. After, we wandered the town and soaking up the atmosphere of Reykjavik. We ended up at the Kaffi Solon for lunch with the business lunch crowd. I opted for a burger (with paprika sauce) and my wife had the quiche. The food was great!

Sadly, our time in Iceland and Reykjavik was at an end. For the second time, we took the Reykjavik FlyBus back to the airport. Thankfully, our trip to the airport was better than our previous FlyBus experience – the Reykjavik FlyBus Fiasco.

So, with that, our time in Iceland came to close… I’ve been fascinated and captivated by Iceland since I saw the film Cold Fever in 1996. Cold Fever is Friðrik Þór Friðriksson’s epic journey of a Japanese businessman into the heart of Iceland. (See the film trailer here) Our trip to Iceland was less eventful than the Japanese businessman’s. We didn’t have a car breakdown. We didn’t see any of the fairy people. But we did explore and eat hotdogs. I don’t know what I expected with Iceland, but it was different. And I’ll miss it… Goodbye Iceland!

Holiday Cruise 2010

2010-12-06T23:45:00.002-05:00

We’ve decided to go away again later this month. We’ve opted for another Holland America Cruise.

We’re heading out on the ms Westerdam for 7-days of Eastern Caribbean fun. Our itinerary:

Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Sea day
Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands
San Juan, Puerto Rico
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Sea day
Hay Moon Cay, Bahamas
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Naturally, we’ll be blogging about the whole experience. It’s going to be a great trip!

Reykjavik, Iceland

2010-12-06T22:07:00.006-05:00

Day 9

We had breakfast at the Centerhotel Klopp, and had breakfast before heading out to explore the city. Unfortunately, the beautiful skies in Reykjavik over the last two days gave way to a light drizzle that made the day kind of dreary.

We headed off the Settlement Museum 870 +/- 2. This was a very interesting museum, named because of the settlement of Reykjavik was determined to be around the year 870 and the museum is found in the basement of an ultramodern hotel. It would have been more compelling if we hadn’t been to the Eiriksstadir – the original home of Erik the Red, father of Leifur Eiriksson. However, the museum was good and informative and was really done first class.

After the Settlement Museum, it was time for lunch. We tried to go to the Icelandic Fish & Chips, but they were closed on Sunday for lunch. A pity. So, instead, we had lunch at the nearby Geysir Bar & Bistro for fish and chips. The fish and chips were quite good and the service was snappy. Given Iceland food prices, we found this to be good value for the money.

After lunch, we took a taxi up to the National Museum of Iceland. This is a great museum that brings both important older historical objects as well as iconic pieces from the more recent period pieces (World War II artifacts and Bjork’s first album from 1977). This museum is a “must see” if you find yourself in Reykjavik as it is both educational/informative as well as entertaining.

In the afternoon, we opted to do the thing we do best – wander, stroll and relax. We walked around the city, the Tjornin lake, and the downtown district. We stopped off for coffee at Café Paris, but it was packed with mommies and screaming kids and strollers. It was not exactly the kind of relaxing experience we were looking for, so we headed on to do our afternoon coffee at Kaffi Solon – a trendy modern establishment on the main drag. This is a great place to relax and spend some time.

After wandering around some stores in the downtown district, we went to dinner at the Fish Market Restaurant in downtown Reykjavik. We both had the lobster soup with coconut milk for our starters – the soup was extremely hot and tasty. They had a miso halibut special, which is what I wanted, only to discover they were out. Sadly, I ended up with a white fish which was a little dry. For dessert, we had an apple tort, which was excellent.

The Queues of Iceland

2010-11-20T20:26:00.001-05:00

In every country we have traveled to, we always see long lines for something - and it differs from country to country. In Ireland, it was ATM cash machines. In Spain, it was lottery tickets. In Poland, it was ice cream. In Dubai, UAE, it was taxis. And true to form, Iceland has its own form of the queue.

In Iceland, they queue for hot dogs. Seriously. From Reykjavik to Egilsstadir, Icelanders queue for hot dogs. I thought it was very unusual, but decided to "go native" and queue with the Icelanders one night for a hotdog from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur in downtown Reykjavik.

In every country, there's something so valued that they are willing to give up their time for it. In Iceland - they value meat in tubular form.

Carnival Cruise Ship Fires

2010-11-16T20:21:00.002-05:00

The recent fires on the Carnival Cruise Line ship, Carnival Splendor, have made international news. But this whole experience is déjà vu for me. You see, in 1998, I was to take my first ever cruise aboard the Carnival Ecstasy. The cruise never happened as the ship caught fire, injuring over 60 passengers.

This got to me thinking. How common are cruise line fires? And with our decision to take a cruise this Christmas (on Holland America), just how safe is it?

So I did some research. There have been 43 cruise ship fires in the last 110 years – of those, about 20% were Carnival Cruise Lines (or 10 of the 43). But if you exclude the older events (many of those cruise lines aren’t even in business anymore), the data becomes much more revealing.

In the last 12 years, over 50% of cruise ship fires have been on Carnival Cruise Lines (or 10 of 17 fires). In fact, over the last 12 years, there have been more fires on Carnival than all other cruise lines COMBINED. And if you get even more recent, it looks even worse. If you look at just the last two years, 100% of cruise line fires have been on Carnival Cruise Lines (5 cruise ship fires since 2008). It’s important to note this data includes both tiny cruises on the Nile River to large, international cruise companies like Carnival, Holland America, Celebrity, Costa Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

This is shocking to me. In ocean voyages, there is a certain risk of fire. But why should the risk of fire be so much higher with Carnival Cruise Lines than with other cruise companies?

Note: Data courtesy of CruiseBruise.com.

Day Trip to Greenland

2010-11-14T20:24:00.007-05:00

Day 8

In researching our trip to Iceland, I found that a day trip to Greenland would be possible. Greenland, who goes to Greenland? I immediately became captivated with the idea that we HAD to go to Greenland.

Convincing my wife was another story. We had long discussions for months on this. Once before I wanted to do a day trip to somewhere crazy (from Spain to Gibraltar). At the time, I was accused of just wanting to collect a passport stamp. And it went much the way this time. My wife again accused me of just wanting to do the trip to collect a passport stamp. I’ll admit, that was part of it.

However, before we left on the trip, the cover of National Geographic was about Greenland being Ground Zero for global warming. I wanted to see it for myself.

We opted for a day trip offered by Air Iceland. Yes, it is quite expensive – at about $525 per person, this would be an investment. Unfortunately, it was difficult to find detailed specifics about the Air Iceland package. So, with a leap of faith, we booked the trip.

We got up early and headed to the tiny little Reykjavik city airport for the flight. The flight from Reykjavik to the tiny hamlet of Kulusuk, Greenland took a little under two hours. Once in Greenland, we crossed through security and found the guide – a gent from Iceland who has lived in Greenland for some time. He originally came to Greenland as a sociologist to study the indigenous population and ended up seeing a money-making opportunity and stayed.

In Kulusuk, we walked from the airport down into the town, stopping at the cemetery ridge for a view of town. At about this time, the midges found us. This crazy little bugs are attracted to CO2 and fly into your mouth and up your nose. They make you miserable! I wish we had netting to keep the bugs out of our faces.

The tiny little village of Kulusuk is quaint. All of the little buildings clinging to the rocks are painted in picturesque reds and greens and blues. It was very charming – from afar.

The locals in Eastern Greenland have progressed rapidly. In just over 150 years, they have moved from tribal hunter/gathering in seal skins to driving ATVs and wearing North Face. But, like most native peoples, they have over 80% unemployment and an extremely high level of alcoholism. When we were in Kulusuk on a Saturday, the few locals with a job had been paid the day before and the entire town was drunk – including some boys as young as about 10 or 12. It was quite sad.

There is one gift shop in town, which our guide opened up for us. The store sells exactly the same merchandise as the Kulusuk Gifts store in Reykjavik – t-shirts and expensive bone carvings. He then took us over to the brightly colored church for a brief 10-15 minute history lesson on Greenland. We then went into a woman’s house for a drum ceremony demonstration – it could have been really good, however, without providing any cultural context, it was just kind of weird.

Actually, that really sums up our trip. Our guide studied the local people in Greenland for his degree and could have provided a really rich cultural discussion and been really informative. Instead, he seemed to be more focused on wanting to open the gift shop and sell things.

The most rewarding part of the trip was boarding the boats from the town of Kulusuk and taking them out into the bay and past some MASSIVE icebergs. That was very cool!

Yes, we got our passport stamp. Yes, we went to Greenland. And who goes to Greenland? Greenland is one of those places in the world that is very far off the beaten track and I’m glad we took this opportunity to go. But for cost of about $525 per person, we expected more. It was not the educational and enriching experience that we were hoping for, but I’m glad we did it.

We flew back to Reykjavik, stopped quickly at the hotel to change clothes and then headed out to dinner. We had selected Argentine – one of the most popular restaurants in all of Iceland and one of the better steakhouses we’ve ever been to. We had reservations, however, our table was not ready and we had to wait for about 20 minutes. The ambiance is dark and the restaurant has a lightly smokey smell from the indoor pit – the ambiance is perfect for a high quality steakhouse! I had the beef tenderloin Argentina style, with the scallop appetizer. My wife also had a tenderloin and together we split a bottle of Malbec wine. The food was excellent, but it took a very long time. It was over an hour between our appetizer and when our steaks arrived. There must have been something going on in the kitchen because our server apologized for the extremely long wait.

After dinner we were looking for cocktails and headed down to the Main Square and Astur Steakhouse. Astur seems to be a steakhouse for dinner and a happening nightclub later in the night. We grabbed a couch and had a cocktail, and were soon joined by another American couple from New York. We spent a little time chatting and sharing observations on the country.

On the way back to the hotel after our late night drinking, we stopped off at the most people restaurant in Iceland – Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur hotdog stand. I had “one with” (meaning one with everything). It hit the spot! It was excellent! And I can see now why Icelanders love their hotdogs. My wife also grabbed one of the waffles from the yellow truck downtown. The waffles were – disappointing (hard, with cheap chocolate sauce). They could have been excellent, but weren’t.

Tomorrow is a day exploring Reykjavik.

The Reykjavik FlyBus Fiasco

2010-11-04T22:00:00.003-04:00

Reykjavik, Iceland is not like most European cities. First, it is only about 300,000 people. Second, its airport isn't even in Reykjavik - its in Keflavik, Iceland about 1 hour (and 52 kilometers away). There's really only two ways to get there - a ridiculously expensive taxi ride or the Reykjavik FlyBus operated by Reykjavik Excursions. The FlyBus is a fiasco.

Taking the FlyBus into Reykjavik from Keflavik airport takes a load of faith. There's no set schedule. And there's a good reason why: you are totally captive and they want to maximize their profits. They say that the bus leaves 35-40 minutes after an arriving flight. In our experience, there weren’t many people who signed up for the FlyBus, so they just kept holding the bus...and holding the bus...and holding the bus. So, we didn't leave Keflavik until 2 hours and 10 minutes after the flight landed and 45 minutes after they told us the bus would leave. And there were only 5 of us on the big bus. They didn't make much money on that trip.

Now, truth in disclosure, the FlyBus from the hotel to the airport was better. It was absolutely packed - 100% of the seats filled...and the bus went on time. Ah - the profit motive and capitalism at work.

As a country, Iceland is working hard to boost tourism. They have a new slick "Inspired by Iceland" advertising campaign. However, travelers generally expect a certain level of infrastructure. And this is especially true in Europe. And having reliable and timely transportation from the city center to the airport is one of those things. If Iceland wants to boost tourism it would benefit them to have reliable and economical airport service.

It's not like travelers have another option. But they should be warned that there's a good chance of them being stranded until the company can get enough people for the trip to make (and for the Reykjavik Excursions company to maximize their profits). And travelers should allow plenty of extra time and not assume the FlyBus will run on time.

The Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon, Iceland

2010-11-03T21:13:00.013-04:00

Day 7

For our last day with the car, we wanted to do the famed Golden Circle on our own. Sure, you can pack onto a tour bus with Reykjavik Excursions. But when you have the option do it on your own, why would you take a bus? Also, if you’re two or more people, you’ll save money on the trip by doing it with a rental car (Reykjavik Excursions charges about $90 per person for the trip to Golden Circle).

We got up at our hotel, the CenterHotel Klopp, and had breakfast before getting on the road. We slipped quietly out of Reykjavik at the height of rush hour. Despite my dumb mistake of taking a wrong turn (twice), getting out of Reykjavik was absolutely painless.

Our first stop was in the suburb of Mosfellsbaer, which hosts the Alafoss Wool Outlet. As my wife was shopping, I watched as a parade of older Icelandic women entered the shop – each carrying a plastic bag or two filled with wool sweaters. They were coming in and selling their handknit creations to the store. You can hear a store talk about their sweaters being handknit, but seeing the creators coming into the store really brought it to life.

We cut across Route 36 over towards Pingvellir/Thingvellir National Park. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is both an amazing geological formation and an important part of Icelandic history. Thingvellir is a rift valley between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates – you can actually walk down into the fissures of the rock. Historically, the site is important as it hosted the Parliamentary assembly of Iceland from 930 AD until 1798. For two weeks every summer, the Icelandic assembly met here in an event that was part festival, part governance meeting, part trial and part flea market. After exploring the park, we drove on to the village of Laugarvatn for lunch, only to find the gas station closed. When in Iceland is the restaurant in a gas station closed? Oh the inhumanity of it! Instead, we opted for a small roadside café, where we had the traditional burgers with the orange Paprika special sauce.

About a half hour up the road from Thingvellir National Park is the geyser Geysir. This is the original exploding hot water plum for which all others in the world are named. Unfortunately, idiotic tourists threw rocks into the original Geysir caldron, so it no longer erupts with significant regularity. However, right next door is the geyser Strokkur. Strokkur erupts roughly every 5 minutes and throws hot steaming water 100 feet into the air. It’s quite impressive. We stayed for nearly a half hour watching the eruptions and capturing them in high speed with the camera. (GPS coordinates: 64°18'46.55"N, 20°18'1.87"W)

Just another 10 minutes up the road from Geysir is the impressive waterfall of Gullfoss. Gullfoss is one of the top tourist sites in Iceland – a credit to both its geographic proximity to the capital of Reykjavik as well as its natural beauty. The Gullfoss falls is a two-step staircase and then the river drops off into a deep crevice and away from view. We were here on a very overcast day, however, we did have a couple of breaks in the clouds where we were able to capture Gullfoss with the beautiful rainbow that can form over it.

After the Golden Circle, we drove Route 35 back down to Route 1 and then back towards Reykjavik. Since it was a Friday, there was a spectacular parade of cars leaving the capital for the weekend. Our next goal was to get out to the famed Blue Lagoon. Now, about this time, I made a really, really bad decision. I noticed on the map this Route 417 “shortcut.” The first part of the road (Route 407) was fine as it climbed its way up towards a ski resort (which was closed since were there in the summer). However, as Route 417 cut off to the right, the road became extremely rough. It was hitting large rocks and felt like I was dragging the bottom of the car along the road. This was a bad, bad move. The only redeeming feature of Route 417 is just as it approaches Route 41 near Hafnarfjordur. For about a mile, there are hundreds of wooden structures with fish drying in the sun on them. Yes, it smelled terrible, but was a very traditional Icelandic thing to see.

It was late, late afternoon when we finally arrived at the famed Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is one of those absolutely iconic sights in the world. Whenever you tell people you are going to Iceland, they always ask about the Blue Lagoon. This was to be one of the absolute highlights of our trip to Iceland – and it did not disappoint. For photographers, as you drive into the parking lot, there are a couple of blue pools outside the complex on the side of the road. These are the “bluest” pools and make some of the best pictures.

The Blue Lagoon complex is HUGE. When you arrive, the parking lot is a quarter mile walk from the entrance. Since we were there late, were able to park close. We entered and ate a quick sandwich in their café before going into the lagoon. The complex is pristinely clean and almost sterile. They issue you an electronic wristband which locks and unlocks your locker. Plus, you can order drinks at the bar in the lagoon and charge them to your wristband, paying for them later. It's great not to have to run back inside to buy drinks or need to carry a credit card.

The Blue Lagoon itself is wonderful! The water is the perfect temperature. It's relaxing and therapeutic. The bottom is inconsistent and I stubbed my toes several times (my wife says it is because I’m a klutz), but watch out for submerged rocks and objects. The waterfall massage wall is the absolute highlight of the Blue Lagoon! After the stressful drive over Route 417, I spent what felt like forever under the waterfall wall being pummeled. It was absolute pleasure.

The Blue Lagoon is famed for its silica scrub. At several places along the wall, they have these wood boxes with slits and then buckets inside. The buckets are filled with pounds and pounds of this silica rub that you cake onto your body like a mask. It’s supposed to make your skin silky soft. We caked our faces, necks, shoulders, etc. in the silica scrub and just loved it. We also helped ourselves to two of the “Blue Lagoon” cocktails from the bar – they were very pleasant, although a bit weak in terms of alcohol content.

After our time at the Blue Lagoon, we needed to get back to the Keflavik airport and return our rental car to Hertz. It was fairly late and the gas stations in Keflavik were closed. We started to get into a panic about where we would refill the tank (again, how could we be in the one part of Iceland without an open gas station). We did find a small, automated one-pump gas station right at the airport complex (look for the Service Plaza as you come into the airport). The Hertz return office was closed, so we needed to do it right at the terminal.

To get us back from the Keflavik airport to Reykjavik, we opted for the FlyBus. Let me just say, a discussion of the FlyBus (operated by Reykjavik Excursions company) deserves its own upcoming blog entry – The Reykjavik FlyBus Fiasco. We didn’t end up getting back to the CenterHotel Klopp until almost midnight and went straight to bed.

Thingvellir National Park:

Thingvellir National Park:
Thingvellir National Park:

Thingvellir National Park:
The Geyser Strokkur:

Geothermal Pool at Geysir:

Gullfoss:
The Blue Lagoon:

The Blue Lagoon: