We are about six days into our trip and we are already exhausted. We are walking an average of about 7 miles a day. I also managed to get an infection in one of my toes right from the start so have been pouring some antiseptic on my toe several times a day to try to get that shut down.
Paris weather was spotty and cool, with some rain on most days, but not bad. One day we did the hop-on-hop-off bus that gave us a good tour of the major sites like the Louvre, Arc de Triomph, Champ d Elysees (not sure of the spelling here), and the like. It was good considering it was cold and rainy for most of that day.
On Monday, at least I think it was Monday, we went on to Venice. Venice was bluster the first day, but was pleasant. Jackie and Dale leave on their cruise from here and only had one full day in Venice, so we let them pick what they wanted to do. We mostly toured around looking for the best shopping deals. Today, I think it is Wednesday, we are on our own now and we will take the day a little slower. I want to visit the churches, some museums, and pick up a few gifts. Tonight will be drinks in Piazza San Marco with the bands trying to out play each other. I love that. Tonight is all about romance.
On Thursday we head off to Nice and the South of France. I am excited to show James the cool stuff that Mandy and I found when we were there in 2006. It should be warm and beautiful.
Next time I will try to post some pictures.
Ciao!
Wednesday
Finishing up Venice
Monday
Once in a Lifetime Pounds
We are down to less than 3 days before we head off to Europe - again. We love traveling Europe. I wish I could live in Europe. We love to experience the food, the history, architecture, the food and the various cultures that are so very different than life here in the U.S. And did I mention the food?
Here is some advice on a more obscure preparation activity: weight gain. Yes, you read that right. I'm saving my pounds available to gain for France, Italy, and Spain! The pounds gained in those countries surely are better than pounds gained here. I can gain poundage here - anytime. Any weight gain resulting from a European trip is truly special. Each pound gained is a once-in-a-lifetime pound. They are pounds I will never ever experience anywhere else. With that philosophy in mind, it becomes very important to not gain any weight pre-trip that might minimize the actual trip poundage total available. In fact, I recommend losing pounds just so you have poundage to gain in exotic locales. When faced with excellent food choices pre-trip, I remind myself of the possibilities for truly exceptional pounds awaiting me just a few days away. It definitely makes my food choices so much easier!
THE WILD SIDE OF MY BETTER HALF
I wrote this after my first trip overseas with James. As I prepare for my next trip with him, I had to dig it out and fondly remember what is in store for me.
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I’ve never spent more than 10 days alone, I mean really alone, 24x7, in the company of my husband. Now that wouldn’t be so significant if we were newly married, but we’re talking several decades as husband and wife, not to mention the fact that we knew each other since grade school days. Well, it wasn’t until 2004, after spending 37 days traveling through parts of Europe with him on The Big Trip and wondered exactly who is this man I married?
I guess I’m naïve, though I shouldn’t be surprised. There have been hints it before when we’ve gone on trips. It starts with the countdown. I can attest to that since the original countdown to our wedding and subsequent honeymoon. See, according to him you can’t count the current day and you don’t count the day you leave. So, depending on what time of the day you actually leave, you can shave off two days from the countdown right from the get-go. We’ve even had instances where we’ve been able to lop off almost a whole week. Vacations never got here so fast. I’ve tried to convince him to count how many more “wake-ups” we have before we leave. But apparently that is a flawed calculation technique. Of course this counting method is nowhere to be seen once you’re on vacation. There’s no fun in that. But now that I’m thinking of it, I’m going to try that next time we go somewhere. I can just hear it now:
“Hey Hon! Guess What? We only have 3 days left. You better start packing to go home.”
“What!! We just got here. What are you talking about?”
“Well, you can’t count today, and you can't count (insert miscellaneous and ludicrous logic here) whatever you do, don’t relax!”
Anyway, he’s one of Those people. You know the ones I’m talking about. It’s Those people who set their clock 15 minutes fast so when the alarm clock rings they can sleep in. They drive the rest of Us people - nuts. We know they’re fooling no one, but they blissfully ignore your attempts at logic, happy in their private deceptions. Well, God Bless ‘em.
So my master prevaricator begins his countdown usually weeks, if not months before the actual D-Day. The closer we get the more excited and talkative he becomes. He can’t sleep and he recounts the days just to make sure he hasn’t miscalculated. I’ve gotten emails at work from him with a cryptic “38 more days!!” when, in fact, we won’t leave for another 40. Silly man. He also begins packing days before I’ve even thought to pull out the luggage. Thankfully, prior to “The Big Trip,” he was working so hard to finish a construction project that he had no time to get too imaginative.
I noticed the first sign of distressingly aberrant behavior only a few days into our trip. We had left Frankfurt and were headed towards a small town on the Rhein River, Bacharach. James got downright randy; first a playful bump, then a grab or two, a pinch, and by noon – outright groping. Now I’m great with affection, but when there’s a surprise bout of forced tonsil hockey while in line for a train ticket, I decided I had to take action and headed for a miniscule gift stand some 50 feet away.
But wait, that's not all! Not only was he being frisky, he started up the incessant talking; mostly questions actually.
“I wonder how many boats go up and down the river each day?”
“What do you think would happen if that guy there with the bad rug stuck his head out of the window? We could call him The Rooster! Remember the movie where John Wayne was called Rooster Cogburn?”
And my personal favorite: “I’ll bet this hill is 2000 years old” to which, interestingly enough, someone nearby argued was probably actually 4000 years old and the one next to it was at least 6000.
The whip cream on this particular sundae is his habit of reading aloud all the signs he sees. That is somewhat annoying driving around parts of the city we live in day in, day out, but when you’re in a foreign country, it sounds downright ridiculous. Oh, and did I mention that he has a loud voice? Think about the foreign pronounciations too. It was quite funny - at first.
I thanked my Heavenly Father I had remembered to bring my MP3 player. I left our train compartment to escape for a few moments and dug around in my backpack for it. I stuffed those little ear-bud-headphone-type-things into my offended canals so tight that I was worried I’d have to find an apothecary store and buy tweezers in order to extract them later. Forward thinking that I am, I dug out my German phrase book and began to look for words to help me with that purchase. Hmmm, no tweezers listed. I picked the best alternative I could find and committed it to memory: “haben sie eine zahnstocher?” Or, “do you have a toothpick?” I figured I could stab the spongy part and simply pull them out. Though, I would have to be careful since I had always been told by my parents not to ever put anything smaller than football in my ear; like I’ve listened to that piece of advice given I’d been using ear buds, cotton swabs and shoved various and sundry other things in my ears for years (the eraser end of pencils work well if you’re trying to think). Anyway, if the clerk still couldn’t fathom my request, I decided to resort to mime by pinching my fingers and pantomime a painful eyebrow plucking session. Yeah, that should work. With that dilemma solved, I rejoined the ongoing monologue in our train compartment, activated my player and settled down, ever hopeful of a peaceful journey at last.
Unfortunately, the batteries were dead. I bobbed and weaved with the beat anyway. How was he to know the only tune I was hearing was the thump thump of my own pulse pounding in my ears? I could hear him chattering away to God knows whom.
Friday
4, 3, 2, 1...Count Down!
There are less than 4 weeks until I have the giddy pleasure of leaving the U.S. of A by jetting off to my favorite vacation destination: Europe. My husband of 31 years (as of Wednesday 7/28) and I will be joined by his sister and brother-in-law, Jackie and Dale, and they will be with us for part of our 3 week journey. They will be taking off on a Mediterranean cruise in Venice and then join us again in Barcelona, Spain 10 days later.
Our journey starts with a few days in Paris and then a flight down for several days in Venice. This will be my fourth trip to Venice in 9 years; James's 2nd. It is a favorite of ours. Venice is a fascinating city in a state of what I call elegant decay. The premise of this city in the middle of a bay with no cars is pretty amazing. We love visiting the churches with the incredible art captured within, find hidden piazza's (plazas) as well as just get lost while walking the city alley ways. Oh, and the shopping is amazing.
We have traveled with Jackie and Dale several times before. Let me interject here that it is important to make sure you travel with people you get along with really well. You want to be able to be yourself and voice your opinions on the "what do you want to do today," or "where shall we eat" questions without letting yourself get shut out if there are more opinionated voices in the group. That said, we've traveled with them before and get along fabulously. We are very much looking forward to showing them the joys of traveling in the alluring Europe. We picked a good time of year to go as far as the weather. It is also the tail end of the tourist season, so we'll miss some of the larger crowding typically found in June - August.
After Cassis we drive up into the mountains in the Provence region. There we'll stay in a tiny, nearly forgotten town of Les Baux. Les Baux has ruins of a 12th century castle that was once a regional seat of power. It was destroyed in 1632 by King Louis XIII. The city is literally carved into the rock that rises up from the valley floor. While staying in Les Baux, we'll do day trips to visit the famous Pont du Gard aquaduct, the city of Nimes, Arles, an other nearby towns.
Our next big leg of the trip is down into Spain. After a quick night in Avignon to catch a 6 a.m. train, we're off to Barcelona. This is where we catch up with Jackie and Dale who will finish up their cruise there. I am very excited to see the Modernisme architecture made famous by Gaudi in the late 19th century, and Gaudi's famous Sagrada Familia, still unfinished (slated for completion in about 50 years).
After Barcelona, we head down to the south of Spain, starting in Granada to see the Alhambra. We've purchased our tickets to that structure in advance at the advice of several travel gurus. After Granada we'll head even farther south and check out Gibraltar. We hope to take the gondola up and then walk down and check out the Apes of Gibraltar. We then spend the night in Tarifa in order to catch an early morning catamaran ride over to Morocco where we have a tour or Tangier arranged. Jackie is very adamant about wanting to ride a camel, which we hear is available on the tour. I may opt to be the photographer and watch the others meander herky jerky around on the smelly, lurching behemoths.
The trip is rounded out with a nice stay at a Marriott resort in Malaga before we head on home. From there I hope we have time to visit one or two of the white villages that dot the Spanish coastal area. I've seen some really nice videos and pictures of the area so I do find myself conflicted about visiting that or laying on a beach. I tend to bypass the beach because one can lay on a beach with closed eyes lots of places around the world, even at home, where I can only see these unique sights one place. Hmmm... which do you think I'll choose?
So that's the trip in a nutshell. You can see the entire itinerary, if you so choose, by visiting TripIt. You do not have to sign up to view the itinerary. As usual, I will also blog as we go. I also hope to post occasionally on Facebook.
Europe Travel Map
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| Travel Route Take a look at our itinerary on the map above as well as check out the details I've made available on TripIt. |
Saturday
Wednesday
Springing into Action
I'm more focused now than I probably have been in...well forever. At least about fitness and health. Oh, I worked out plenty in my younger years, but I sure wasn't as motivated as I am now. Back then it was about being slender and also about the "me" time I could carve out. Now it is about staying cancer free and active so I can run, jump, and play with my kids and grandkids. I want to be full of vitality and not, as I see so many around me, too tired out to engage in anything after a long days work.
My stint with cancer which culminated in 6 weeks of tiresome radiaton and then immediately going into 6 weeks lolly-gaggin' around the house with pins in my feet meant that I had gained weight (again). Within just a few days of having the pins out, I painfully began the walking again, determined to get fit. I had been doing quite well prior to the surgery, but 6 weeks off my feet meant it was slow going for a while. Well it is now 6 weeks later and I can pretty much walk as many miles as before. I have even started to run a little. I can't run far, mostly because my lungs start burning and my legs get heavy, but each week I know I'll do better. The weight coming back off has been slow; or at least it feels slow. But I now I just have to be patient, eat right and keep active and it will slowly come off. I am determined.
I tried golf again the other day. I hadn't done that in years. Even when I did, I stuck mostly with the driving range, getting pretty intimidated when golfing with anyone since it took me a gazillion shots just to make it to the the par 3 hole, the one time I did play on a course. Well, maybe I'll try again. We'll see. I noticed that it worked out my midriff muscles pretty good. I like that idea better than doing sit ups. :)
I am very excited about my upcoming trip in August/September to Europe. The last time I went was in 2008 with James. We visited Romania (spent a week helping with some orphanages) then on to fun in Istanbul, Kusadasi (near the Ephesus ruins), Greek Islands, and finally Athens. This trip will start in Paris, then move to Venice where we'll say goodbye to a couple traveling wtih us (Jackie and Dale). James and I will move on to the South of France to see Nice, Cannes, Monaco, and the Provence region. We meet up again with Jackie and Dale in Barcelona, after they get off their cruise ship, and then head on down to the south of Spain to see Granada, Malaga, Gibraltar, Tarifa, and a day trip to Tangiers, Morocco. All-in-all, a 3 week trip that is sure to be warm, beautiful, full of history and architecture: everything James and I love about traveling.
I have most of our hotel reservations done, the main flights to/from Europe booked, and the only thing that remains are rental car, one hotel, and then some smaller flights and trains between the cities. We typically walk a LOT when we travel, so this getting in shape will be important so we can stay energetic throughout our trip.
I am focused. I am driven. I WILL be healthy. Watch me.
Friday
Don't Look Up!
Ah memories! I'll never forget the beautiful afternoon walking the cobble stoned byways of Venice with my daughter a few years ago. We were hopelessly, yet very comfortably, lost. Not really a big deal, but we were trying to find a specific church, museum, or piazza for some reason or the other, and we decided to whip out our map of the city. (Maps in Venice are not always useful as some streets/alleys are named and some are not. Sometimes the maps even make it worse.) Either way, we whipped out the map, unfold it to its ungainly size that's almost as wide as the alley we're in, and begin flipping it around this way and that to see if it would help us navigate to the church, museum, or piazza; whatever.
SPLAT! Did I forget to tell you that Venice is overrun with pigeons? Oh yeah. Well Venice is overrun by pigeons. They're everywhere. Most of you have probably seen the ubiquitous Italian travel montages that show tourists besieged by hordes of birds in St. Mark's Square (that's a piazza, by the way), and we found that to only be the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I'll give Venice kudos though for working hard to keep them in check and minimize their damage. It seems that the pigeon poo was degrading the beautiful structures that make Venice so famous. Just a few years ago they banned the street vendors that sold feed to tourists and started fining people for feeding them. I heard they even set up a government program to help the the vendors find other jobs since most relied on their trade as their single source of income. Some had even argued that the "business" had been passed down through the generations.
Anyway back to the mess on my head. The wet muck struck the map, my sweater, and some got on my hands. Yuck. Our search for the museum, church, piazza turned into a search for a restroom to wash (those are hard to find unless you sit in a restaurant and buy something). I remember I had lost my voice and was scarfing cough drops all day and Mandy had to feed me the next few until I could thoroughly scrub all the pigeon poop away.
I had one other run in with bird guano, years ago. My brothers and sisters and I would walk to the local drug store on a trail through some woods (imagine doing that in today's environment?) and one day a bird found my head. Strange what you remember when you're a kid. It kinda reminds me of the old Gary Larsen cartoon showing how birds see the world: people all with targets painted on their heads. Well that was me. I had a friend with me, so I played it cool and simply wiped it off with my hands and carried on. No freaking out for me. Ugh. I think we went down there to buy candy. I've blocked the rest out.
I venture to guess I'll get nailed at least once more in my life time. I think I'll start planning my response now.
P.S. You can read about the day this occurred on my blog from that trip here. Scroll down to my June 7th posting.
P.P.S. The little video is not mine. Unknown copyright.
The Beautiful Dessert
My previous blog entry mentioned my next trip to the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park. We'll be driving down in our car hoping to take only 2 to 3 days to get there. Once there we'll stay in St. George, Utah and take day trips to the various parks. The drive looks long, but since gas is no longer at $4.50 a gallon, it makes it cheaper than flying.
Our hope is to hike with cameras in hand and capture the real beauty of the area. Neither James nor I have ever seen the Grand Canyon so we are very excited to see this amazing geological formation. I've heard good things about Bryce Canyon as well. I'll try to post pictures or blog as I go if I can.
I really love planning trips. I have several online travel sites that I use regularly and some of you may find of interest in planning out your own summer travels.
1. Driving Costs - calculate your fuel costs: http://www.drivepricing.com
2. Trip Advice - find restaurants, hotels, activities, and tourist hot spots with reviews and occasionally even photos from real people, not travel writers. I've posted many reviews on this site myself: http://www.tripadvisor.com.
3. Find the best seat on an airplane - Seat Guru helps you figure out which seat is the best seat on your airplane. Tired of spending hours in the back with a seat that doesn't recline? Wish you knew where the exit rows were? Check out seating charts for the different airline and airplane configurations in advance at http://www.seatguru.com/
4. Non-US Low Cost Airlines: Trying to find flights in Romania, Greece, Turkey, Spain, or other country and don't know where to start? Try this site for a listing: http://www.discountairfares.com/lcosteur.htm
5. Home Exchange - I've yet to do this, but it has intrigued me. This may be a way to experience a new place without the high costs of a hotel: http://www.homeexchange.com/
6. Travel Questions answered - want to ask other travelers for suggestions or ask about train schedules in Italy? This is my favorite site for European travel by the travelers, for the travelers. Check out the forums where travelers post comments and answer your questions: http://www.slowtrav.com/. I love this site.
7. Maps - you can get directions to almost anywhere via the Michelin map site: http://www.viamichelin.com/
8. Currency Converter - Find out how much this is really costing you: http://www.xe.com
9. Plot Your Trip - build your itinerary, see the maps, and even add in activities which are easily printed out. This site integrates in with many airline and reservation sites and pulls in your flight & hotel information for a complete itinerary. You can share your trip map and itinerary with family and friends. Travelers can add in expenses, perform Mobile updates, and integrate with your calendar. Check it out: http://www.tripit.com.
10. Federal Aviation Administration - get the scoop on travel advisories, laws, regulations BEFORE you go: http://www.faa.gov/passengers/index.cfm
Enjoy your summer travels!
Tuesday
10! 9! 8!
As mentioned in an earlier post, I have a nice relaxing trip to Hawaii all lined up and ready to go. A good friend of mine and I made a deal several years ago that on our 50th birthday we would splurge and buy ourselves a trip somewhere. Well, this is the year and we're actually doing it. So off to Maui we go. We are leaving on Saturday May 2nd, and will be gone exactly one week.
I really need this vacation. Work has been very hectic and my role has me in the hot seat on a regular basis. It is not fun. I need the beach. I need the sun. I need week of doing nothing work related at all. So, I downloaded a countdown clock from the Internet and have been watching the days disappear. Yeah!
But, oh no! My friend, Brenda, reminds me that we should count the same way James does. You can't count the current day, and you don't count the day you leave, so my countdown clock is wrong. Sigh...
It reminded me of a writing assignment I completed about 2 years ago. You should give it a read. It is called "The Wild Side of my Better Half".
Friday
So Much To Buy, and So Little Time
While preparing myself for my next trip to Hawaii, I started reading up on old posts from years ago. I'd forgotten about them but really liked them, so I am re-posting them for your enjoyment.
Consumerism has reached a new level. Until now, I have been unfamiliar with the abundance of travel supplies and accessories available. While making my packing list, I've found a veritable bottomless pit of supplies that each company touts as "must haves" for the savvy traveler. Well, not wanting to be un-savvy I took a peek.
Armed with my debit card, I find I'm faced with the daunting decision of what to purchase. Should I get the "Disposable Tan Towel" that gives me a natural healthy looking tan without the harmful effects of the sun, or the "Soothing Sole Towelettes" that instantly refresh, cleanse, and deodorize? Begging for my hard-earned, but casually spent dollars, are the travelers first aid kit, the special "no-wrinkle" (yeah right) clothing, disposable underwear, travel lights, map readers, motion sickness wrist bands, travel fans, and the inevitable, but very stupid looking, "Cloud-Soft Inflatable Pillow" that "makes all the difference on long flights." (Speaking of those little inflatable pillows, I've seen those; they wrap around your neck like the yoke on an oxen. Though they do appear to be much lighter weight and can be purchased in a variety of colors, they still look pretty funny. My sister wore one when we traveled to Italy in 2001. It was a real struggle to keep my hilarity to myself so as to not to disturb her during her slumber. The pillow did work; she didn't kink her neck, but she did keel over and ended up reclining on the very nice Italian lady next to her. This kindly soul didn't shove Linda out into the aisle even once during the entire 4+ hour trip from Rome to Venice. Who says the locals aren't kind to Americans?
One item reminded me of a conversation some of us had regarding smells on long airline flights. It was the "Personal Air Supply" that "substantially reduces pollutants, dust, smoke...so fresh air is released towards your mouth, nose, and eyes." You get the picture. I think the $125 price tag means I'll be smelling whatever comes my way during the 9+ hour flight.
Here's a few other items that caught my eye (actual name and descriptions used):
* Boroleum - place a tiny dab at the base of each nostril for immediate relief from dry nasal membranes.
* Skeeter Defeater - portable free-standing insect tent that packs easily into its own carrying sack.
* Flipper - Suctions securely to any smooth surface and its unique springloaded hinge allows it to "flip" open and closed, preventing your toothbrush bristles from coming into contact with surface germs (the picture shows your toothbrush suctioned to the bathroom mirror)
* Restop - biodegradable blend of polymers breaks down waste into a sturdy zip top bag and turns it into gel (I'm not kidding)
* Tush Wipes - I'm not going to explain this one
All this has helped me make up my mind. I'm not buying anything, but I will make James sit at the back of the plane.
4/3/2009 Note: I'm not going on this next trip with James though.
Sunday
Pack, Pack, Pack
I found myself singing the little children's ditty from Dora the Explorer called "Backpack! Backpack!" yesterday as I packed for THREE events. I leave today (Sunday) for a four day work session in the Long Beach area, and laid out the clothes for next weekends jaunt to Oklahoma City and Dallas for a wedding and NASCAR race. We return on Monday evening and then finish packing up for our move to Sumner slated for Friday the 7th.
Our house deal is supposed to close on Monday, then hopefully the "team" will be painting some of the more hideous walls, getting the new house cleaned up, and carpets shampooed next week while I'm gone. The "team" consists of James, my Dad (who is moving with us), and my sister and hopefully Mandy and Daniel. They've all proffered their assistance to help. I have no expectations (I don't think).
The month of November promises to be a full month. Of course, the holidays are just around the corner too. I hope I survive.
Thursday
Ditz in the Dessert
Well, I'm not in the dessert really, just closer to one here in Southern California than my typical day in Kent, Washington. After several days in a very rainy Richmond, VA for a NASCAR race over the weekend, I had to buzz off to Long Beach, CA for a couple of meetings with my boss. Everything seemed like a typical So-Cal trip, the 90 minutes in the airport, the 45 minutes on the tarmac before take-off, the 120 minutes in the air, another 20 minutes landing and getting "de-planed"; you know the drill. Well I finally make it and head off to the glorious Emerald Aisle where I can select the car of my choosing.
I decided to wander into the tiny booth to ask specifically which cars boast satellite radio (I love satellite radio) and get the info about looking for strange antennae mounted to rooftops. I shlepp my gear along the heralded aisle and decide to tap into this idea of being a little green this trip and head for a Toyota Prius with the tell-tale antennae shooting up from the pale blue rooftop. Now, I've driven one of these before and found the experience interesting so I figured I'd examine the vehicle a little more closely this time and pay attention to things like: pick-up speed, braking, radio speaker quality, seat comfort, and the like. (Who knows, maybe I'll actually buy a "green" car someday?) I hop in and do the mirror adjustments, seat belt adjustments, find where the lights are, and plug in my GPS so-I-don't-get-lost-for-the-thousandth-time electronic lifesaver, and we're off!
I get to the checkout stand w/ the railroad crossing contraption and wait to be checked out. While there I try to find my favorite oldie comedian station on the satellite radio. Being a very busy morning, the cars immediately start lining up behind me, so when the guy finally takes my credentials, I breathe a sigh of relief. I hate holding people up. Guess what? I can't figure out the satellite radio! I ask the guy when he returns and he shrugs and hollers at another worker who says "that one don't got it!" The man asks if I want to switch cars. After a quick glance in my rear view mirror, I decide I'll have to live with out Bill Cosby for my 72 hour trip. Ah well; I head off into the LA freeway system.
I arranged to meet a co-worker after work for dinner at my favorite Long Beach restaurant, Open Sesame (a Mediterranean eatery of note), and head out of the office at 5 o'clock to meet her there. It's only about a 20 minute drive, and the restaurant is well worth the effort. Well, my cute little Toyota Prius had a totall different idea!
I insert the rectangular "key" into the slot, put my seat belt on, and then hit the power button. Now, you can't hear this car start. Your only indication that the car is running is this dashboard computer that shows the power. I hit the tiny park button to get it out of park and maneuver the tiny little lever into the reverse notch (it doesn't stay there, like a normal gear shift knob would) and try to back up. It goes about 3 feet and neatly stops at an awkward angle successfully blocking the car next to me. Great. I try again and again to get the car to backup to no avail. I anxiously hope that whoever owns the car I'm blocking is working late tonight! I hate holding people up. So, I shut the car down, take off my seat belt, open and close all the doors thinking maybe it won't go if a door is ajar; nothing. I fasten the seat belt on the passenger side. I go through the whole routine again and again: nothing. What is with this car? It worked fine earlier in the day!
Sure enough the owner of the blocked car comes out and wants to leave. I jump out of the car to explain my dilemma. She nicely explains she knows some friends who have the car and they haven't had any problems. Do I want her to call one of them for me? Nice.
After another 10 minutes of repeating the starting process, I decide to peek in the glove compartment to see if there's some sort of "Prius for Dummies" manual or something. Sure 'nuff! Intersting that the manual fell open easily to the correct location (anyone else have this problem???) and I found out you have to have YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL in order to start the car! How stupid is that? I dutifully go through the steps to start the car, only putting my foot on the brake pedal BEFORE I pushed the power button. Guess what? It started. I moved the car. The lady got her car out. I headed off to Open Sesame.
Boy did I feel dumb.
Needless to say, I was late to dinner. My friend had a table already and was enjoying my story about the time I accidently flung my fork off the table and onto the sidewalk (we were eating outside). After dinner I made the mistake of almost trying to get into 2 other Prius's parked on the same street. Apparently they are a popular model here in So-Cal; so is the color blue.
My GPS so-I-don't-get-lost-for-the-thousandth-time contraption kept shutting off, even while plugged into the cigarette lighter. Apparently my fuse is blown. I got lost for the 1001st time here in So-Cal. I just can't seem to get it right down here.
Ahhhh travel. Don't you just love it?
Exotic Trip Coming Up!
Those of you who know and love me (or at least like me) know that I fell in love with Europe in 2001 after my first visit with my mother and little sister. I've been back twice since. Now, I get to go again!
James and I have wanted to do a mission-type trip and our heart was set on something having to do with children. My heart was affected about six or seven years ago about the plight of unwanted children in the Eastern block of Europe: Russia, Romania, Kosovo; areas such as that. The people are so poor that many times they abandon their children. The children are in state run homes/orphanages and many times don't get much attention, and even less love. So we researched several organizations for a few years and we finally zeroed in on one facilitated by an older couple in Romania. She ministers to over 11 of these homes (some hospice-type institutions too since many children battle disabilities or illnesses) and even more on a more peripheral basis. She packs packages full of goodies, treats, and just visits too. At Christmas and on Children's Day, which is June 1st, she supplies gift boxes for each child. Needless to say this is a LOT of work.
We will be heading over there to work with her to prepare for Children's Day. We'll be there for about 6 days helping put together the packages as well as deliver them and spend time with the children. The average age is toddler through about age 12.
From there we'll fly over to the exotic Istanbul for a few days. We are very excited about visiting the bazaars and taking in the Byzantine architecture. We've been boning up on the history of Turkey so we can be somewhat informed as to what periods came when in history; like was the Ottoman empire before the or after the Byzantine?
From Istanbul we'll jet down the coast to Izmir and we'll explore a couple of the "seven churches" like Ephesus. Then we'll take ferries and head off to the Greek island of Naxos. We'll end our stay in Athens after taking in the Acropolis.
We're very jazzed about the trip and most of the planning and plotting are complete. I'll make sure to blog while we're gone too.
Wednesday
Cool Photos
I'm posting some of my photos that are from the last two trips to Italy. Have fun looking! I hope to go back again sometime in the next five years or so.
Beautiful Italy