Category: International

beyond the fifty

Cruising, Gardens, International, Shopping, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

RC, That’s More Like It

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: THE BETTER SHORE EXCURSIONS

Having Fun in Spite of the Challenges

After the Shore Excursion FAIL in Tulum, we didn’t have much in the way of expectations when it came to Roatan, but it turned into a pretty wonderful day. The same with Costa Maya. We’d had the awful Jaguar Paw Debacle, but our bike ride and kayaking in Costa Maya, though not wonderful, was fine. Come along and enjoy these days with us.

Happy in Honduras

From the moment our ship pulled into port at Roatan, it looked as if we might be having a better day than we did in Tulum. The area around the port was very inviting and fresh, as if they’d had their gala grand opening the day before. Not at all the gloomy ferry docks of Cozumel.

We hurried through the inviting port area and found our shore excursion bus. A very short, scenic, tropical drive took us to Carambola Gardens and we were greeted by festively dressed employees who heartily welcomed us. They led us to a covered pavilion where in the shade of towering trees we participated in a very informative demonstration. Cacao beans were turned into chocolate the old fashioned way and we even got to try it out ourselves and make some dessert.

As the chocolate hardened, we were taken on a tour of the gardens. It was surprising to me, because there were no flowers. That’s what I think of when someone tells me we’re going to take a garden tour. Instead we were introduced to a wide variety of tropical trees and plants. A very sweet guide told us the fruit produced by each plant or tree and how the fruit and other various parts were used. I wished for some flowers, but was pleased by what was presented.

We returned to the collection of buildings and pavilions for a delicious lunch, topped off by the chocolate we had made ourselves. On the way out there was a shopping opportunity and I found this really cute bag I couldn’t live without!

Back in the port area, we had even more shopping opportunities and if we’d wanted to, we could have spent the afternoon hanging out at their pool. It was really a very nice place. Were I to go back today, I’d plan to spend my day there perhaps and not even take a shore excursion – it was that good.

Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico

When it comes to shore excursions, I try to mix it up. We’d done a historical/archeological tour to Tulum, chocolate making in Roatan and cave floating in Belize. A nice coastal bike ride and kayaking sounded like a great way to round out our activities – especially since for some reason Royal Caribbean thought anyone over 65 was too old for four wheeling. I hold that against them, too. I’m sure I’m more fit and able to drive an ATV that some of the 20 and 30 something passengers who were cruising with us. Not to worry though, I will not ever cruise Royal Caribbean again – even if it were free!

Though it was not as awful as the Jaguar Paw Experience, our Bike & Clear Kayak Adventure didn’t turn out exactly as I had imagined. We found our shore excursion group in the meeting area and followed our guide to our bikes. They’d seen better days, but they worked, so we jumped on and rode away in a line behind the guide.

I’d imagined biking through gorgeous tropical and/or beach scenes. For the first half of the ride we rode through what looked like one abandoned construction site after another. It was disheartening and disappointing. Eventually, we did come to a sort of beach boardwalk, but there were no boards, only bricks. It was early enough in the morning that vendors were setting up their wares and few people were enjoying the beach. Our guide led us to a fenced-in cafe where we were told to park our bikes and go to the patio.

We were given bottles of water and told to get ready for kayaking. We put on our water shoes eagerly, claimed our craft and headed out into the water. These were clear bottomed kayaks, but there was nothing to see except water, sand and some grasses growing in the water. It was great to be out on the water, but I’d hoped to see something exciting as I paddled along. Entirely too soon, they were rounding us up for the ride back to the port.

While I’d hoped for more, they’d delivered everything they promised. So, while it will not go down as my favorite shore excursion ever, it was a grand event compared to some of the other excursions I’d suffered through on this cruise.

The next day was a day at sea and talk about suffering, we were SO tired of the disappointing routine on Vision of the Seas. The food is perhaps the thing that discouraged us the most. On most cruises, the food is an important part of the entertainment, but there was nothing entertaining about this cruises’ food.

We loved our dinner mates and our server really did try to show us a good time, but the food was subpar. In fact, no matter which dining venue we went to for a meal, Bill ended up at the snack bar getting another piece of pizza or a sandwich. I would have joined him were it not for my gluten free issues. At least there WAS a snack bar, but that’s a sad way to nourish yourself for a week!

On Day 8 we disembarked, flew back to Dallas and were never so happy to be home. I’d been toying with the idea of using a vacation club deal to go to Florida, but this experience was so bad I decided if I want to go on vacation, by golly, I was just going to pay for it! Of course, that didn’t keep us from accepting a $1200 voucher for getting bumped from a flight. And we did decide to go to Florida, but not to the vacation club. Come back next week and travel with us to Pensacola and Navarre Beach.

Architecture, ART, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Shore Excursions, TRAVEL

Shore Excursion Hell

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: MAKING THE BEST OF BAD SITUATIONS

On this cruise we took four shore excursions and two of them featured the worst tour guides we ever had, one was pleasant and the fourth was merely disappointing. But look at those happy faces we have. We truly made the best of it wherever we were.

I Don’t CARE About Modern Day Mayans, What is this Building?

Our first shore excursion was to Tulum, a place I’d longed to see for a long, long time. The day started on a ferry ride so rough, I got seasick for one of the few times in my life. I didn’t need the barf bag, but almost.

We meet up with a chubby, jovial fellow who took us on a quick trot through Playa del Carmen. I usually enjoy walking, but the day was miserably hot and I was still a little woozy from the churning sea.

We climbed onto a bus for the hour long drive to Tulum. The tour guide almost immediately jumped into a lecture about Modern Day Mayans, of which he was one, and that remained his subject for the rest of the day. I was having deja vu all over again. I thought I was on St. Martin with Josay.

At Tulum, he guided us through a marketplace, warning us only to shop at his recommended shops and then drug us at top speed through the Archeological Park. If you hesitated to take a photo, good luck catching up to him. His commentary still focused on Modern Day Mayas and if you dared to ask him a question about the ruins, then he’d just be quiet while you asked and then go on talking about Modern Day Mayans. Then he abandoned us to find our way back to the bus at the given hour.

Tulum is beautiful. Bill and I strolled around taking photos, but without a guide, we were a little lost, especially since there were no signs bearing any explanation in any language. We had no idea what we were looking at and we gave up guessing. We strolled back to the bar our guide had recommended for cheap margaritas.

Eventually the guide showed up and allowed us back on the bus. He was blissfully silent for the return trip. In Playa del Carmen he dumped us in shopping district and disappeared again. We fought off aggressive vendors and found the beach, but mostly we just hung around until we could catch the ferry back to the boat. That’s how sad the tour was. We preferred being on the boat. This guide got to hold the title of worst guide ever for two whole days and then we had a worse one.

Un-Belize-Able

I’ll skip right to the worst guide EVER!! I’d heard from many people that Belize is heaven on earth. For us it was hell. The whole day was so bad, I didn’t take a single photo. You tell me! Doesn’t Jaguar Paw Cave Tubing & Jungle Trek with Lunch sound amazing? NOT!! It was like Eternal Ride on a Bad Bus with the Worst Guide EVER!

The tour began in a jewelry store and we were there forever. At least it was air conditioned. I think they kept us there until someone finally broke down and bought something. As we climbed on the bus, we realized it wasn’t exactly state of the art. If we’d realized how far away Jaguar Paw Cave was, I might have balked.

Trying to warm up his patrons, within the first mile the guide made a joke. He pointed out some site and said, “Can you Belize it? Un-Belize-Able! You better Belize it!” That was just the first time he made the quip, which was repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and…well I think you get the picture.

The road to the interior was a yawn. Nothing to see on the dusty backroads than what I see on the dusty backroads of Texas. I was so done with buses by the time we arrived at Jaguar Paw. Once we pulled into their entrance we were given our orders: pay for a locker, put your stuff there, wait to be called, go into the jungle.

I get they need to make money, but $12 for a tiny locker which you only need during the very brief cave tour. Now that was Un-Belize-Able, but we were a captive audience with no other options.

When our number was called we were excited to be going on a jungle trek. NOT! The “trek” was about as long as half a city block with a well worn trail. Entering the cave and climbing aboard the innertube was the most excitement we experienced that day. The water was chilly but not miserable.

As I climbed aboard I looked around and wondered where this float was going to go. I could see the end of the cave just ahead. We floated pleasantly for a few minutes and then were instructed to get out and walk about on the shore. Not sure why. Nothing to see.

Back in the tube and back to the entrance. There was a deeper section near the entrance and we were invited to swim, but it was such a short distance you could have almost hopped from your tube to the exit area, so everyone just enjoyed the last few moments of the float.

Then we were sent back on the “jungle trek” and our free meal. I’ll say this. It was better than what they were feeding us on the cruise, but not by much. We killed time until everyone had their float and feed, then climbed back on the awful bus. Thankfully the guide didn’t have much to say, which was good, one more UN-Belize-Able and I would have been contemplating murder.

As we neared the port, the guide did hit us with a few more repetitions of his signature line, but I was numb by then, so his life was never actually in danger. We filed off the bus and through the shopping opportunity, anxious for some reason to get back on the boat.

One thing that made this cruise tolerable was marvelous dinner companions. We were lucky enough to be a part of the cool kids table and they made our evenings very pleasant. From there we’d always head to the auditorium for whatever was being offered for entertainment that evening – always a disappointment. Used to be cruise ship entertainers were among the best of the best, but something has happened since used to be. They’re tired, the costumes are cheap and the scenery is minimal. Yawn.

This was the worst of it. Our other two shore excursions weren’t bad. In fact one of them was downright pleasant. Come back next week for a better time!

Accommodations, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL, Travel Planning

Never Again Royal Caribbean

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: ENJOYING OURSELVES IN SPITE OF THE CRUISE

Yes, It Was Free, But They Should Have Paid Us for the Mediocracy of Everthing

So, I attended a travel presentation and scored a free cruise – we’re talking flight & cruise. I thought any day cruising was better than staying home. I was wrong! Come along and find out why!

Navigating My Way to a Free Cruise

I adore cruising. My first cruise was my honeymoon and we cruised Hawaii in a cabin on a boat I probably wouldn’t even consider today, but still it was magical. We had a blast and loved every moment of it – in spite of all the lack of amenities I would have noticed these days.

Since then I’ve cruised the Nile, the Danube, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean (the Caribbean several times.) I’ve been on Celebrity, Norwegian, Carnival, Viking and few other smaller companies. Until I took a Viking river cruise, my all time favorite cruise had been one I took on Royal Caribbean. It was everything I ever dreamed a cruise would be and more. Then after the river cruise, I began to have my favorite small ship experience and my favorite big ship experience, but Royal Caribbean still reigned supreme for ocean going experiences. It had been a magnificent.

Then we took a quick cruise out of Galveston on Royal Caribbean and I wondered how it could have been the same cruise company. The food was mediocre, the ship needed some TLC, the entertainment was a joke and even the staff needed a little refresher course. My travel agent assured me it was Galveston’s fault. Galveston was where old cruise ships went to die. So in the future, we stayed away from Galveston departures.

When we got our free cruise, I had a choice of five cruises, but most of them were out of Galveston to ports we’d already visited. So it boiled down to 3 cruises. The one I preferred would have required a flight to San Juan and because it was out of the US, we’d have had to pay for it, which would have been more expensive than the (potentially) free flight to Florida. Just so you know, the whole free flight thing turned out to be smoke and mirrors. I should have lobbied harder for the cruise I wanted, but when traveling, I’ve learned to do things Bill’s way. It might not be optimal, but then when he complains, I can point out it’s his choice, not mine. This keeps my marriage afloat, which is more important that any number of given days on a trip.

So, we booked the Royal Caribbean cruise out of Tampa to Cozumel, Roatan, Belize and Costa Maya. I remember the day Royal Caribbean sent us our confirmation. I thought I really scored something big. I worked on scheduling shore excursions and redeeming my free flights (which never manifested).

Embarking on Our Adventure

In spite of the dirty tricks the agency played to avoid providing the free airfare the promised, I was still excited about going. Remember, I love cruising and even though Royal Caribbean had already had one strike, I blamed it on Galveston and looked forward to an experience more like my favorite cruise.

We’d had a very early flight, so we were among the very first to get on board. We made our way to the Embarkation Buffet and realized we were about to relive everything we hated about the cruise out of Galveston. I took the photo above of what I was able to glean from the nasty things offered on the buffet. I know being gluten free I miss out on all the lovely bread, desserts and fried things, but still, this was sub-par.

New Empathy for Non-Cruisers

I’m one of those odd people who isn’t crazy about beach vacations, but I’ve never understood anyone who didn’t like cruises. Something for everyone – am I right? On this cruise I imagined someone like me being stuck on that boat for seven nights without other, more pleasant, experiences and I could see why they’d think cruising was torture.

To give Royal Caribbean its due, we did talk to several people who were having the time of their lives. One set of retired Floridian ladies cruise with Royal Caribbean constantly – at least once a month. They gamble and they claim their cruising is a source of income! During one breakfast they schooled us on retiring to cruise boats. If we hadn’t been living through what we considered the worst cruise ever, it would have sounded pretty good.

I used to think that a bad day on a cruise was better than a good day anywhere else. I now know that is not true. There’s a lot of bad days at home I’d prefer to relive than the days we spent aboard the Vision of the Seas. But we’re Bill and Jane! We live to have a good time. So, come back next week and I’ll touch on a few highlights, but let me assure you, I will never, ever cruise Royal Caribbean again – even if its FREE!

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

The Parliament Building & Other Sites

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING – THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE HARBOR

Come along for a tour of the Parliament Building in Victoria British Columbia. Washington State was so close I couldn’t mis the chance on the day before to see Butchart Gardens. Today we’re taking some of the rest of the city. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Starting the Day Off Easy

Traveling is hard and every once and a while you need to take a break from it. I had carved out this morning for a little R&R before hitting the trail again. The extensive spa in the hotel allowed us to swim, steam and sauna. Then we hit the road, having lunch at a small Mexican cafe at Fisherman’s Wharf and then driving Dallas Road. First, because we’re Dallasites and then because it was another oceanside drive, very different from the busy Harbor area and Fisherman’s Wharf where we’d just had lunch.

The Parliament Building

Free guided tours of the building are offered during the summer, but the schedule had not been published by the time we left Dallas, so we arrived at the building after our lunch and driving tour, not knowing whether we’d have a guide or would be showing ourself around. We picked up this brochure, but we got lucky enough to show up at the right time for a guided tour.

The tour of the harbor’s highlight starts in the beautiful rotunda, where a canoe holds the place of honor. An early Governor said, “We’re all in the same canoe,” and it became a tagline for the government of the province.

The building is graced with some finely worked stained glass windows and other elegant adornments. The Parliament was not in session, so we got a look at their meeting space. The Hall of Honor, where Bill took a picture of me, is where new citizens are sworn in and other ceremonies of merit take place. I just had the honor of being a visitor.

Royal BC Museum

This museum is huge, but we didn’t have much day left or much interest in tackling the galleries of the building. We told ourselves we’d come back some day and instead watched an IMAX feature called Cities of the Future. Entertaining, but not remarkable.

An Evening Around the Harbor

We lucked into a restaurant called Wind Cries Mary. It was quite the hot spot and we were fortunate they made space for us. I haven’t got much praise to offer for the service, but our meal was delicious, if a little avant garde.

As we strolled back to our hotel, Bill took several of the evening photos you see above. As for me, I couldn’t resist snapping a shot of this t-shirt. I don’t wear t-shirts much and neither does my bestie, but since she’s a cat lady, I had to send her this photo.

And so ended our time in Victoria B.C. We’d be up early the next morning to catch the ferry. This time I had no trouble getting Bill there on time. Come back next week for what might be considered a repositioning cruise, if we’d been on a boat rather than in a rental car.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL

More Victoria Sightseeing

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING: Castles, Culture and Canadian Charm

There was still a lot of day left after we left Butchart Gardens and grabbed a late lunch. I had a long list of things I wanted to see, so we started knocking them off the list. Come along and enjoy the afternoon with us.

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Thursday evenings are free at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, so since it was a Thursday, this venue was high on my wish list. Only we got there before the free started, so Bill wanted to go back to the hotel for his afternoon coffee break. This was not on my list, but after his fussy morning at the garden, I thought maybe some coffee and a quick nap would help his attitude.

It did and when we went back to the Gallery, we found it quite interesting. Its galleries are a mixed bag of art for sale, permanent collection, special exhibitions and classes. The backyard is some kind of temple. It’s a really mixed bag, but who can argue with free, right?

Government House Gardens

Government House is the Official Victoria Residence of the Governor of British Columbia. You don’t actually visit the interior of the Residence without some kind of official invitation, but the Garden is open for viewing by the general public pretty much all the time.

Huge gates with the official seal were wide open for our visit. It was a lovely experience. The house itself, though stately, wasn’t my cup of tea, but the gardens around it are spectacular.

We first wandered off to the right where there was sort of a natural garden. It was certainly well tended, but instead of the trimmed boxwoods and fountains you might think of with an official residence, the gardens were more like what you might find behind a garden gate in the Cotswold.

Behind the Residence the ground fell away to a valley and great rock walled terraces filled with greenery took up the back side of the house. That’s where we ran into a really nice lady who was out walking her very large cat. In fact, it was the largest domestic cat I think we’d ever seen. It was a long haired tabby, like Bill’s Mesh Mesh had been, and when she let him hold the feline, I wondered if he was actually going to give it back to the nice lady or would cut and run. He did finally return the beloved pet, but remembers holding it as one of the highlights of the trip.

As we came around the other side of the house, we found row after row of irises. Irises are one of my favorite flowers, but no one loves irises as much as my best friend, so I had to take lots of photos for her. I texted them to her to let her know she was on my mind.

In front of the Residence was a large water feature with many unique rock formations. It’s amazing they allow the general public to just come hang out, but it was a marvelous experience.

Craigdarroch Castle

Thrilled we’d seen both the Gallery and the Residence, I was quite satisfied, but then I realized Craigdarroch Castle was nearby. It was so late we couldn’t get a tour, but we were able to wander around outside. On the front lawn folks were gathering for the performance of a Shakespeare play and we stayed for the opening speeches.

There’s a mistake on the photo book page above. We did enjoy a meal at Wind Cries Mary, but it was the next day, not this one. I worked on my photo album during an online crop and was so intent on earning badges and completing challenges that I didn’t do any fact checking. I keep a detailed journal of all my trips, but I’d taken the trip just a couple of months before and thought I remembered everything the way it happened. Obviously, I didn’t! In reality, my fast food loving husband had gone to Wendy’s for breakfast. Then we’d had a late lunch at Red Robin. After the castle he stopped back by Wendy’s for a light supper.

So, next week, we’ll be visiting the Parliament Building, going to Fisherman’s Wharf and having dinner at Wind Cries Mary. Come back and go with us.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Beautiful Butchart Gardens

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: A DAY IN THE GARDEN

Welcome! I’m glad you’re here! Today we’re going to visit one of my mom’s favorite gardens. She always wanted me to see it, but I never got there while she was alive. Still she seemed to be there and share every step I took. Come see what Mom loved.

Starting the Day at Hotel Grand Pacific

By 6:30 AM I was at the gym and unlike many hotel gyms I was not alone. The spa at Hotel Grand Pacific has members from the community and the gym was hopping. They had two rowing machines and both of them had little old men on them, working away. I got on a stationary bike instead and watched like a hawk. In 10 minutes they were gone and I put my time in.

Afterwards I found quiet things to do in the room, but at 8:30 I was hungry and opened a nut bar to break my fast. The rattling cellophane also woke up Mr. Bill, who got out of bed on the wrong foot. He never quite managed get back to his best self. He went to one of the most beautiful gardens in the world and managed to be grumpy the whole time, because the crowds were too large for him to get good photos.

Frustrations in the Garden

So far on this vacation we’d seemed to live charmed lives. Everything had fallen into place like magic, but on the day I wanted to have the most magic, it seemed to abandon us. Many things went well. We found the garden easily and had no trouble parking. Our Black Ball vouchers got us in without a hassle and I will never forget the moment I snapped the photo of the big sign in the entry area. I wanted to shout, “Hey Mom! I’m here!”

Like cattle in a herd, we made our way past the statue of the boar and turned right into the Sunken Garden. What a gorgeous, gorgeous place. Yes, we weren’t exactly alone, but as you can see in the photo above, we also weren’t exactly marching shoulder to shoulder either – which is entirely possible later in the summer. So, I was surprised when, on the way to another garden area Bill shared his displeasure at having people in his photos. I confess, I was not very sympathetic and to tell the truth, I resented him inserting his displeasure into my enjoyment of the garden.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. I’ve shared before how critical the possession of a map is to my happiness when traveling. Strolling with the crowd past the boar I had somehow missed the kiosk with the maps. Exiting the the Sunken Garden area there was a signpost with a map and I decided to take a picture of it in lieu of a paper map, but there was a pretty good sized crowd around it. I patiently waited for my turn and stepped up to take the picture, but behind me, someone else wasn’t quite as patient. I was given a pretty rough shove.

From there we obediently followed the crowd to the Carousel and Totem Poles. About this time Bill shares his displeasure with the gardens. As I tried to shrug off his negativity I realized I didn’t have everything with me that I came in with. What was missing was my cape. My very favorite black cape that I wear constantly during the winter and goes with me on almost all of my vacations. This was not a minor distraction. This was enough to ruin any day. I told Bill what was up and ran off to back track my steps.

By the time I made it to the Sunken Garden I was frantic. I was fighting back tears. I wondered how a day I had looked forward to for so long could go so wrong. Then finally, I saw it, not far from the signpost. Someone had kindly laid it across one of the chains protecting a grassy area. I remember the rough shove at the sign post and cursed the impatient tourist who had almost permanently separated me from one of my favorite possessions.

Recovering My Resilience

I was on an emotional roller coaster. Keeping Mr. Bill happy is job one with me, so I was dismayed at his consternation. “Guess what my least favorite attraction has been so far?” he’d asked. How could he be unhappy in such a gorgeous place? And now, here I was adrenalin and anger pumping through my veins. I took a deep breath and took a moment to pray. I wasn’t having my joy stolen by a few frustrations. Mr. Bill was is a big boy. While few things bring me as much pleasure as pleasing him, I am not solely responsible for his attitude. And while I’d been very upset to lose my cape, I now had it back in my possession. So, took another deep breath. I thanked God for how wonderful the vacation had been up to that point and asked Him to help me enjoy the rest of the garden.

With my personal photographer pouting over the people in his photos, I pulled out my camera and took over as primary shooter. Capturing pretty flowers and lovely landscapes are my strengths in photography, so most of the photos from this day came from my DSLR, not Bill’s phone.

And then I saw a kiosk with maps! My day was complete and I was able to confirm I was successfully viewing all the beauty the garden had to offer. I also picked up some other brochures, later incorporating them into my photo book.

Bill Gets Back on Board

With a little help from God, I’d gotten my day back on track, but my surly companion was not doing quite as well. His bottom lip was not exactly dragging the ground. He wasn’t exactly rushing me, but he also wasn’t joyfully lingering over every vista.

With my map in hand I realized we’d seen most of what there was of the garden to see, but I also saw that up ahead was a Gelateria. My sweetheart loves gelato. “Come,” I said, ” I think you’re going to like this!” And here he is, happily standing in line for his gelato.

Up next was the gift shop where he himself found a wonderful birthday present for his sister-in-law. I reveled in that, because gift shopping is usually my responsibility. So, in the end, my visit to Mom’s garden hadn’t been perfect, but it was lovely and I felt a little relief that I’d finally marked it off my list. Having visited the Grand Hotel a few years before, I didn’t owe her anymore vacation days.

Come back next week and let’s see what we find in the rest of Victoria!

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Hotel Grand Pacific – The Way to Stay

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: WELCOME TO VICTORIA B.C.

If you’re as close as a ferry ride from Victoria B.C. then get on that ferry and spend some wonderful days at the Hotel Grand Pacific. These were some of Bill’s favorite days of the trip. See what you think about our arrival.

Well, Excuse Me!

We drove off the ferry, across the street and parked under Hotel Grand Pacific. I made my way to the reception area and began my transaction with the nice guy behind the desk. Suddenly, there was a woman standing so close to me that she was almost touching me. Wild hair, loud voice and a sort of bright floral house dress. Here I was checking into my room with my billfold, vouchers and notebook wide open and she’s so close to me she could put her hand in my pocket. I was afraid that was her goal and it rattled me.

I think she was merely rude and boundary-less, but I had to complete my entire transaction with her standing right next to me, chatting up both myself and the reception clerk. I must have checked to be sure I had all of my belongings a dozen times, but I couldn’t get away from her fast enough. Bill was outside taking photos.

To say we loved this everything about this hotel would be an understatement. The room was a little tight, but well appointed with a great view. The hotel had bicycles for guests and so our first order of business once we’d dumped our luggage and parked our car properly was to grab a pair of cycles and take off.

Remember that not listening to me stuff. I tried really hard to let Bill know the route he should take on our bike ride, but before I could even get started he was already down the street zooming through the traffic. I thought I was going to get killed. Eventually, he did ask me where he should go, but by that time I was so shook by near death experiences I had no idea where we were or where we should go.

Somehow, probably luck more than anything else, we were at the entrance to a park I wanted to visit. I followed Bill to a bench, got off my bike and spent my time praising God for being alive. Once I was in the park, I’d studied the map of Victoria so much, that I was able to guide us back to the hotel.

Back at the Hotel

Once we returned to our room, it was time for coffee and snacks. Then Bill took his nap. This gave me the opportunity to arrange the room for three blissful days of not packing up and moving EVERY DAY. Then, I caught up in my travel journal and did crossword puzzles, while sitting next to our picture window, drinking a glass of wine.

Come dinner time, Bill decides we’re going to drive somewhere. I usually just go along to get along, but I’m the one who had done the research and I knew everything we wanted was within three blocks of us. We were not going to drive anywhere and try to park in Victoria. And that was that.

Our Evening Stroll

I think Bill cooperated so he could prove me wrong, but we were out of the hotel and on the sidewalk, so I didn’t care. We came to a restaurant called Mosaic Grille & Bar. Bill then decides there are actually restaurants within walking distance and he’s ready to go check out the rest. I really wasn’t up for that. I was afraid I’d end up with fast food and I wanted a meal. I didn’t exactly put my foot down, I’d already done that once within the same hour, but I made a strong case for taking advantage of what was right in front of us.

Once we had dinner, we strolled around the area, taking a closer look at the Fairmont Empress. Then back at the hotel, we went to the spa where the exercise facilities were. I knew then what I’d be doing first thing on the next morning!

The next day started at the gym, but then we went to Butchart Gardens. You don’t want to miss that!

ART, DESTINATIONS, DFW Metroplex, International, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Shopping, United States

Forever Events

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING 101: DIG IN WITH ONLINE EVENTS

Dive Deep for FREE

Forever has two free online events coming soon and you’ll want to know about them. If you don’t already belong to Forever now is a good time to join. It doesn’t cost a penny and there’s no obligation, but you will get a $20 off welcome coupon for your first purchase and you can enjoy these seminars live and/or at your leisure. Just be sure to use my link, https://www.forever.com/ambassador/jane-sadek or you might end up with a stranger as your Ambassador!! Once you belong, hover over the “Products” link in the top bar and choose “Forever Events” from the menu.

Family History Virtual Event

If you’re the Family Historian building your family tree one ancestor at a time, I applaud you! You might be interested to know Forever could be you best tool ever. That’s why you’ll want to participate in this event. After a welcome from our Founder, one of our Ambassadors, who is an expert on genealogical exploration, is going to talk about how she’s used Forever to collect and share her documentation. Then another Ambassador will talk about her experience with Forever Family Research. Yep, Forever has a whole division devoted to helping you with your research and you’re gonna love hearing about it. There’s more, but that should be enough to reel you in. Sign up here!

If you’re not the Family Historian – I’m certainly not – you’re still going to learn lots from this event. During the Family History session, they’ll go step-by-step through the digitization process and though they’ll be talking about genealogical materials specifically, most of those materials are the same ones you have: photos, video, slides, negatives, movies, audio and memorabilia. Then, while you may never dig into your ancestry, you have to admit those family tree people do discover some interesting things and learning how they do it might just inspire you to get busy on your limb, because someday you may have the leaves someone needs for their tree. Sign up here!

Family Historians and Non-Historians both will benefit from the balance of the program. The first session after a short break is “Using Forever.” This company was founded to make memory keeping easier. With us you don’t have to have a series of services and apps to do what you need to do. This session will walk you through the perfect integration of your memory keeping tools.

Perhaps the best part of memory keeping is sharing, so after learning how to use Forever, you’ll drill down into all the various ways you can share with “Auto Print” and “Design and Print.” Want to make a photobook in minutes? AUTO PRINT! You’ll go wild! And other print options will also be discussed. Then they’ll talk about the Friends & Family program for sharing and how you can keep your legacy alive long after you’re not here to do it.

Forever’s Family History Virtual Event will be February 25, starting at 11 AM,CST. Want more info, click here.

Milestones Virtual Event – PETS

Several times a year Forever has Milestones Virtual Events. Much like the Family History event in February, Milestones walks you through ways to use your Forever account and products to capture your memories and share them for generations to come. Past Milestone events have focused on everything from babies to weddings and lots of other things in between. March 11, the subject will be Pets.

The information shared during the event is good, even if you aren’t a pet lover, but pet lovers will enjoy it, even if they aren’t memory keepers!! It will be full of ways to capture and save memories of your pets, as well as how to use Forever in the process. You can sisgn up here.

More Information Than You Can Shake a Stick At

Online Events are just one of the ways Forever supports you in your memory keeping. On virtually every page of their site there are links to videos, FAQs and other content to help you with whatever you are doing. You’ll find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. They have a blog. With your Forever Club Membership, you can even be on a quarterly call with the founder to find out what’s going on. If digital scrapbooking is your thing, there’s the Pixels2Pages community. It really is almost endless. And yet, I was preserving memories seconds after I signed up, so it is also very intuitive.

So, that’s the memory keeping scoop for this week. Of course I will be sharing the weekend report tomorrow and next week I’ll be sharing more from the trip to NYC. Don’t miss it!!

DESTINATIONS, International, Road Trips, TRAVEL

At the Whim of the Gods, the Final Scene

Jane Sadek

Act III, Scene 1

Zeus:  Good Morning!  Thank you for tuning into Jagged Journeys on KVOO radio, the voice of Olympus.  I’m your host, Zeus, Greek god of sky and thunder.  On the air with me is Isis, my lovely Egyptian co-host.  Today is the grand finale of the Bill and Jane episode of our game and what a journey it has been!

Isis:  You are absolutely right, Zeus.  There are several gods and goddesses we have to thank for contributing to the success of this episode, but I think we should start with Mercury, because he selected these amazing players.

Zeus:  Yes, Isis, Mercury played an important role, but how did you like the storm I cooked up on their first day of travel?

Isis:  It was certainly something, Zeus.  It’s now almost two weeks later and New York is still trying to sort out the luggage.  It’s no wonder that you are the god of thunder; but you weren’t the only member of your family who made this game exciting – how about your wife, Hera?

Zeus:  She certainly made a difference.  Without her, the travelers might still be lost in Dusseldorf, but that’s ancient history now.  Why don’t we check in and see what’s happening with Bill and Jane.  Are they almost home, Mercury?

Mercury:  Yes, Zeus, our travelers are already in DFW airspace and Jane’s parents are waiting for them at the terminal.  This last leg of the flight has been most uneventful – a real yawner!

Isis:  But that’s been the exception rather than the rule; hasn’t it, Mercury?

Mercury:  Absolutely, Isis.  Even after they escaped from the consequences of Zeus’s storm and joined their friends in Germany, the trip continued to be a roller coaster.

Isis:  I remember when Bill and Jane arrived at the Kettler Hotel in Bad Laer.  They were so exhausted they were barely civil to the wedding party.  Even though they’d been trying to them reach for three days, all they could do was sit staring into space. They would have enjoyed some food from the buffet, but it had all been eaten.  Before too long, they went right up to their room and almost slept through the wedding.

Mercury:  Yes, they certainly would have if the groom had not come and knocked on the door.  Ludgar thought they might actually be sick.

Isis:  But they weren’t – only a bit worse for the wear.  Bill and Jane immediately jumped up and started getting ready, but very quickly found out they hadn’t packed the cufflinks and studs for Bill’s tux.

Mercury:  They lost a lot of points for that, too.  They were very irritable after sleeping so long and lost a lot of points for bickering.  This was a serious mistake after losing so many points for sleeping through the afternoon.  In fact, they lost so many points that they made the bride late for the wedding.  When they hit 498 points, Eris flew down and confused the driver of the bride’s car.  Even though everyone in the bride’s entourage saw the cathedral, they couldn’t figure out how to reach it.

Isis:  The bride saved the day.  They all got out and walked, leaving the cars to sort out the problem.  Things did go more smoothly after that.

Zeus:  You’re right Isis, for the first few days after the wedding it seemed as if the trip had turned into a real bore, but then Bill and Jane locked horns with The Couple from Hell.

Isis:  Actually they were from New York, but our contestants thought The Couple was sent from the devil – even though Lucifer certainly had nothing to do with it.  Remember the first time Bill and Jane noticed them.

Zeus:  Yes –initially, the couple from hell melted into the larger group of wedding guests – but as the days passed, more and more guests headed off with other agendas and the crowd dwindled down to our travelers, the newlyweds and The Couple From Hell.  That’s when they rode the cog wheel rails and cable cars up to the Zugspitze.

Mercury:  What a beautiful site that was!  Then the men decided to climb even higher than the observation deck to a shrine.  The Wife From Hell decided to go along, but she climbed the wrong way and had to be rescued.

Isis:  And it was Bill who rescued her, not her husband!

Mercury:  That’s right; and once again, Bill brought a lot of points to the board.  But that evening as they were looking for their hotel, The Couple From Hell nominated themselves as the official navigators and took everyone on quite a wild goose chase.  Somehow, Jane kept her mouth shut, but you could see how frustrated she was.

Zeus:  Yes, and The Couple from Hell insisted on holding on to their navigational position, but they weren’t exactly a pleasure to travel with.  If they’d been our players, this would’ve been a very different game, wouldn’t it Mercury? 

Mercury:  Absolutely, Zeus.  The husband loved spouting off about how capable he was at navigating, but never did take his turn driving – and that led to a completely different problem.  Didn’t it Isis?

Isis:  It did, Mercury.  Like school children on a bus, The Couple from Hell was jealous because they were stuck with the middle seat and didn’t get to sit in back.  They even complained to Tammy about it.

Mercury:  But, Bill and Jane had only been sitting in the back, to give The Couple from Hell a better seat.  Since The Couple from Hell didn’t appreciate it, our contestants were quick to move to the middle.  Then The Couple from Hell found out how hard it was to see out of the back and how uncomfortable it was.  Bill and Jane not only got points for cooperation, they got a better seat!

Zeus:  But they still had to put up with the hellish couple’s navigating.

Isis:  That is until Vienna, when Jane had finally had enough.  The entire group was on foot en route to a subway station.  Don’t you have that conversation cued up to play for our audience, Zeus?

Zeus:  Yes, I do.  The first man is the Hellish Husband, the second one is Ludgar and our audience should recognize Jane’s voice.

Hellish Husband:  OK, we continue on this street until we get to Ringstrasse Street.

Ludgar:  Simply marvelous.  Isn’t this wonderful weather?  What do we do then?

Hellish Husband:  We’ll turn right and then it should only be a block to the underground station.

Ludgar:  I hope we find a place to eat when we get to the palace.  I’m a bit hungry.

Hellish Husband:  The lady at the hotel said there would be plenty of places to choose from.

Ludgar:  Hey, Jane!  Where are you going?

Jane:  This is Ringstrasse.

Hellish Husband:  No, this street is Joseph Something Street, we’re looking for Ringstrasse Street.

Jane:  No, you’re wrong!  The Ringstrasse is a series of streets – strasse – that make a ring around the city center, hence Ringstrasse.  The street has different names in different parts but it’s all The Ringstrasse.

Ludgar:  Are you sure about this Jane?

Jane:  Yes, I am.  This is not my first trip to Vienna.

Ludgar:  Come on guys, Jane thinks this is the way.

Hellish Husband:  We are supposed to go to Ringstrasse Street.

Ludgar:  Jane, why don’t you come a few more blocks this way with us and if we don’t see Ringstrasse Street, then we can come back.

Jane:  You guys go ahead, I’ll wait right here, because this is Ringstrasse.  I’ve already made too many extra steps on this trip and I’m not going on another wild goose chase.

Ludgar:  Come on, Jane, we should stay together.

Jane:  And we should turn right here.  If you don’t believe me, since you speak German, ask one of the locals.

Isis:  So Ludgar spoke to someone in German and headed off in the direction Jane insisted they should go.  The Couple from Hell followed reluctantly.

Zeus:  Ugly Americans!

Mercury:  Zeus, Isis, the plane has landed.  Bill and Jane are headed towards the terminal.

Zeus:  Then we should hurry up and tell them about my second storm.

Isis:  OK, Zeus.  Up in the Alps after a nice al fresco lunch, the group heard bells ringing and asked the waiter what they signified.  The waiter told them the bells meant a storm was coming.  Since ancient time the people living in the mountains rang the bells for storms, because the mountains hid them.

Zeus:  I always thought that was a nice touch.  Tell everyone what happened then!

Isis:  Well, Zeus, then the group walked down the street a few blocks to a pastry shop for dessert.  A funny noise made them look outside and your storm was pouring down.

Zeus:  Yeah – grape to golfball sized hail filling the street curb to curb!

Isis:  It was very impressive, Zeus, but since you are only allowed to interrupt the trip once in a game, by the time they ate their dessert, you had to move the hail out of the area.

Zeus:  That’s right, but it was something wasn’t it?  So where are they now, Mercury?

Mercury:  They’ve just exited the doors of the terminal and Jane’s parents are waving like crazy.  Jane has gone up to her mother and given her a hug.  They are breaking the embrace now and I’m going to see if I can get close enough for you to hear what they say.

Jane’s mother:  I’m glad you are home.  Did you have a good time?

Jane:  We certainly did, but for a lot of the trip, we felt like we were tossed about at the whim of the gods.   

Accommodations, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning

Intro to At the Whim of the Gods

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: SOMETHING FUNNY HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING

1994 was a big year for me.

I got married in May and our honeymoon was a Hawaiian cruise. That should be enough to make any year big, but it was just the beginning of our adventures.

I had six weeks to update my passport with my new name, because Bill’s best friend was getting married in Wiesenkirche Zu Soest and we were on the guest list. We weren’t only on the guest list for the wedding, though. We were also invited along for the honeymoon.

The Way the World Was

Today life is framed by smartphones and social media, but in 1994 we somehow managed to live without either one. There was an internet, but we called it the web and it was just a place for nerds to go.

A computer with Windows and a mouse was a novelty, because most systems ran DOS. Our monitors were CRTs. People owned copiers, not printers, because printers were these loud dot matrix things that produced voluminous reports we called print-outs. We sent faxes, not emails, because email was also a novelty and texts weren’t a thing. (Watch the movie You’ve Got Mail.)

Every home had a land line, with multiple phones around the house and depended on an answering machine to get their messages. There were cellular phones, but they were very limited, because you actually subscribed to a particular set of cell towers. You actually had to pay extra to get Dallas-Ft. Worth service, instead of Dallas or Ft. Worth. When you got out of your cell, then you went on roaming which was astronomically expensive, so you just didn’t use it. There was no camera, no texting, no wi-fi, no internet. You just made and received calls. For all these reasons, there were more people with beepers than there were with cellphones and when you weren’t working, you left your beeper at home. Believe me, it was lovely.

When you traveled you used maps, atlases and travel guides, because GPS was something for pilots and the military. If you needed to make a call, you used a pay phone or you waited until you got to your hotel. Getting away from it all could actually be accomplished.

It Should Have Been a Breeze

I’ve been fortunate in my life. My vacations with Bill have been one Trip of a Lifetime after another – the Caribbean, Egypt, the Danube, the Mediterranean, cruises, road trips, you name it and I hadn’t exactly been sitting around on my keester before I met him.

Still, the itinerary for Tammy and Ludger’s wedding trip was like something out of a movie. Tammy was a flight attendant for an international airline, so all of our flights were comped. Ludger’s company owned the gorgeous hotel where the wedding party stayed, so our five star accommodations were comped. Limos were supposed to pick us up at one airport and whisk us to another, where we’d party in one of those restricted lounges. There would be days of rustic folk celebrations in Ludger’s small German village and the wedding would be in a spectacular cathedral. And that was just the beginning, because then we’d set out on a road trip to see the wonders of Bavaria.

But you know me! If something is going to go awry, then I’m probably on that train. Before this trip was over I would live some of the most spectacular moments of my life. It was remarkable in every possible way, but most remarkable and most frequently recounted is the disaster of a commute we made from DFW to the small town of Dortmund in Germany.

At the Whim of the Gods was Born

I turned these adventures into a manuscript sometime in the early 2000’s. I wasn’t sure then what I’d do with it. I just had the inspiration and went with it. I still had hopes of being the next Victoria Holt back in those days. At first I wrote it like a play, inspired by the Greater TUNA plays by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, which were popular at the time. Then, someone in a writing group said it would be more fun as a narrative. That captured my imagination and I did a rewrite. I had actually forgotten the rewrite until I was looking back in my files to retrieve the play.

I didn’t actually think I was going to be the next Victoria Holt. I just wanted to be a published author. I’d written a comic novel about a retirement home romance, but somewhere after the 50th rejection letter I found myself embroiled in the drama of being the primary caregiver for three failing senior citizens and I lost my momentum. Life went on and while I did manage to get some poems published, I’ve moved on to other dreams.

Now, I’ll share At the Whim of the Gods with you. I decided the narrative version is the more interesting of the two, even though it was never actually finished. Who knows, maybe I’ll get inspired again? Maybe I’ll finish it up by sharing the end of the play.

One small warning – there won’t be many images. Bill had his camera bag, but remember, these were the days before we had smartphones and we didn’t break out the camera for the small moments, or our meals, or much of anything, except the sites.

I’ll break the narrative down into easily digestible chunks and so you can enjoy it serially.

The Blurb on the Cover

If this story was on Amazon, there would be a paragraph to introduce it. It would go something like this:

What if the huge pantheon of gods from the ancient world are still with us? Since we stopped worshipping them, perhaps they’ve gotten a little bored. Taking a cue from humans, the gods and demi-gods watch reality shows on their scrying bowls. The favorite show might be Jagged Journeys, where human contestants have no idea they’re just entertainment fodder for Mount Olympus. Bill and Jane Sadek are real people who went on a real vacation in 1994. All these things actually happened to them. Was it just bad luck or were they AT THE WHIM OF THE GODS!

I really do hope you enjoy it. Come back next week for the first excerpt!