jane sadek

Finally, We’re Off

June 1, 2016May 26, 2016 Jane Sadek

Adult Coloring Cards My In-Flight Entertainment

TRAVEL THERE: GETTING THERE – A PAIN IN THE NECK, LITERALLY

Whoever said that getting there was half the fun must have lived a long time ago. On our latest journey, getting there (and getting home) was just about the only hassle we had to deal with.

The Pain in my Neck

So, I had a wreck in January and have been under the care of a chiropractor. While it has been distracting and frustrating, on most days I can keep the pain to a dull roar. The one thing I can’t do is sit still for any length of time. Talk about frustrating! I spend my days at a computer, but these days my computer time is broken up by neck breaks.

What has been an irritation in my day to day life became a real dilemma on my trip. Before my pond-jumping flight was over, I was having pleasant fantasies about guillotines – and anything else that might stop my neck from hurting.

No Room on the Plane

My biggest problem is that I remember when flying was fun. The airlines were still trying to get our business, so our knees had room, the food was good and you didn’t have to be in first class to be treated well. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you all this has changed.

I do have a message for Lufthansa, that Airbus 330-300 you put us on had no business going across the ocean. I guess I really don’t have too much room for complaint, since my flight was virtually free. Viking included airfare for $100 each and my travel agent tried very hard to warn me that I might want to upgrade to Premium Economy, but I was intent on keeping a low profile in the money department. All the same, I’m going to complain.

As soon as I sat down, one thing was obvious, my seat was not designed for a 5’8″ female. I can only imagine how miserable my six foot husband was. There was no position I could put myself into which would keep my knees from touching the seat in front of me – and this was before that passenger leaned his chair into my lap.

My biggest complaint was the well-used condition of the plane. Oh, the upholstery was fine and everything was clean, but from the moment it taxied down the runway, I had the distinct impression this plane might have crossed the water one too many times. My husband drives a Mercedes and I drive an Altima. Neither is reflective of this experience. The flight reminded me of the strange orange car my niece drove when we visited Egypt – there was a hole in the floor and everything rattled. Now the plane didn’t have a hole anywhere (that I know of), but the rattling just about drove me crazy.

Sleeping – Forget About It!

In best case scenarios, it is unlikely that I will get much sleep on a plane. In this case, unlikely was an understatement. I had headphones, a neck pillow, a blanket, a sleep mask and I brought cozy socks for my feet. I had dinner, did a little adult coloring and then settled down for a long flying nap.

I tried all the tricks to convince my body to fall asleep. First was the sit-erectly-and-close-your-eyes method. I told myself this would be best for my neck, but since I usually fall asleep on my side, I had to give it up. I tried to emulate sleeping on my right side, which is my initial falling asleep position at home. It was a little awkward, but it tricked my body into thinking it might want to fall asleep. My next trick was to roll on my left side, which I always do in bed right before I head off to dreamland. As a bonus, Bill was on that side and I was able to lay my head on his shoulder. It was going to happen…I was falling asleep…then we hit the turbulence.

It was a pretty significant bounce, so I came wide awake, but if that had been all there was, I might have been able to overcome it. I could not overcome the next hour of the bone-jarring ride. The rattling sounds pierced through the headphones. I tossed and turned for an hour in the dark with no luck. Out of pure frustration I found a movie to watch. I like Jennifer Lawrence. I like Bradley Cooper. I like Robert DeNiro. However, Joy has to be one of the worst, most depressing movies I have ever attempted to enjoy. After it was over I wished I had just listened to the plane rattle.

Breakfast Time

We didn't eat here, because we'd just eaten airplane food, but it did make us feel as if we'd landed someplace interesting. — We didn’t eat here, because we’d just eaten airplane food, but it did make us feel as if we’d landed someplace interesting.

By the time the movie was over the flight attendants turned on the lights and shades were going up. I shook off my misery and looked forward to breakfast – which should be an indication of just how miserable I was.

Ten hours from take-off, we were landing in Frankfurt and I felt like I’d rather be dead. The rattling had merely been a distraction, but from the base of my neck radiating outward was some of the most excruciating pain I had endured since the accident. I was also punch drunk. We must have asked 10 people how to find our gate. We were like Keystone Cops.

When we did find the gate, I went to the restroom to freshen up. We stacked our luggage around Bill’s feet and I slept until it was time to catch the next flight. Thank you to my remarkable husband who acted as my pillow while I slept. I was at least coherent when I woke up. My shoulders felt good enough to make me think I might be able to withstand carrying my head around for the rest of the trip.

On to Budapest! Things do improve and to prove it, here’s video highlights of our trip.

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

Meals You’ll Love on Viking River Cruises

May 25, 2016May 25, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: MEAL BY MEAL ON THE VIKING TOR

Every meal is a treat on Viking River Cruises!

Breakfast

From 6 – 11 AM a Cafe Breakfast was available at a coffee station next to the Lounge. In fact, food and beverages were always available there. The food ranged from croissants and danish in the morning to cookies mid-afternoon, but there was always something. The liquid libations offered even more variety: coffee drinks both hot and cold; hot tea and hot chocolate; both bubbly and still water; even juices in the morning. The Cafe Breakfast service satisfied the needs of both the early risers and late sleepers, while the coffee station itself kept the rest of us from getting peckish throughout the day. There was at least one day we visited it for a second breakfast and on most days we took advantage of it for an afternoon break. At 7 the Aquivit Terrace served a Continental Breakfast.

At 7:30 the Restaurant opened up for a Full Breakfast and I do mean full. There was a lovely buffet where you could get anything from a made-to-order omelette to a bagel with lox. A list of all the things available would take up more word count than I want to spend on it. I was particularly fond of the mushrooms sauteed in butter, not something I usually eat for breakfast, but once I tried them I ate them every morning. Healthy things like fresh fruit and yogurt were available as well as diet-busters like bacon and breads of every sort. I’m not very experimental in the morning, so I had no interest in things like pickled herring and other local “delicacies” they offered up, but you might be.

Were you able to visit all the stations on the buffet and still not find something you were interested in, a menu was available for other selections. My husband chose to order from the menu on several mornings, but that wouldn’t keep him from enjoying the buffet too. The menu included all those taboo treats like French Toast, Pancakes and Waffles.

Of course, coffee, tea and a variety of juices were available, but should you have an interest in it, champagne was also being poured. Many of the passengers enjoyed mimosas, but I can’t start the day drinking. I’m a wimp!

Lunch

Most of the shore excursions were planned to get you back to the boat for lunch at 12:30. Lunch was served in the Restaurant in much the same way as breakfast, but with different selections. Instead of a chef preparing fresh egg dishes, the lunchtime chef offered made-to-order pasta. There were a wide variety of casual foods offered around the buffet, but you could also order off the menu. The Aquavit Terrace was also available.

Most days we’d order off the menu and then graze the buffet for tidbits until our meal arrived. The menu items were served in European proportions. You could get as many as you wanted, but a three course meal could be eaten without feeling as if you’d just ingested half the boat. Well, perhaps the desserts were overly indulgent, but the other two courses were very reasonable.

The items on the menu offered a wide variety. There was usually a regional specialty, something for the meat-and -potatoes sort and something else for the vegetarian. The vegetarian choices were delightful, even if you weren’t vegetarian. I would usually opt for the regional specialty, unless it was pickled something or other.

The wine started flowing at lunch, but that’s when I got my caffeine fix. I’ve already ~~complained~~ mentioned the fact that Diet Dr Pepper was not an option, so I’d have a bottle of Coke Light, Europe’s answer to Diet Coke. Pretty much any other non-alcoholic beverage you were interested was available at lunch.

I did mention desserts didnt I. — I did mention desserts didnt I?

Dinner

If you liked the idea of a buffet, then you could go to the Aquivit Terrace for dinner, but in the Restaurant dinner was off the menu.

Passengers generally dressed up a little for dinner, but if you happened to stroll in from enjoying free time at the port and were still wearing your sneakers, you wouldn’t be turned away. For the most part Viking passengers dressed up the scale from your average ocean cruiser, but there was no formality. There was no pool or beaches, so folks weren’t running around in swimwear. The chilly weather discouraged shorts, tank tops and the like. I liked dressing up for dinner and you could tell other women did, too. My husband usually wore nice trousers and a long sleeved shirt. Jackets and ties were not worn.

Each evening before dinner there was a briefing of some sort up in the lounge. The cruise director would ask if we enjoyed our day and then give us the lowdown on what would be happening next. Some evenings this event would be accompanied by a glass of free champagne. We always took advantage of that, but we never ordered drinks. The bar was always open, but unlike the wine with meals, alcoholic beverages in the bar were not free. With so much wine flowing at dinner, we saw no reason to invest in cocktails. That was not true for all the passengers though. We saw the bartender mix a lot of martinis.

Most evenings we’d find our cruise buddies, Deb, Mike, Gwynne and John at the briefing and then take a table with them for dinner. The fun we had around the table made dinner one of the best parts of the day. The food was to die for and as I’ve mentioned the wine never stopped.

At both lunch and dinner the menu was divided into two parts, but different things were offered for each meal. The left side had the chef’s daily menu and the right side was labeled “Always Available.” I usually ordered from the day’s selection, but Deb was all about the Grilled Salmon on the Always Available side of things. The dinner choices on either side were divided into three courses, but you could order it anyway you wanted. Also, like lunch, they provided a variety of things to please the adventurous, the meat-and-potatoes sorts and the picky (for whatever reason).

I’ve chatted for too long about food, but it is an important part of a cruise. Next week I’ll start sharing our exciting stops along the Danube.

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

What Do You Eat on a Viking River Cruise?

May 18, 2016May 18, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THREE SQUARES A DAY & ALL THE WINE YOU CAN DRINK ON THE VIKING TOR

From first meal to last, Viking River Cruises does everything right. Everything I loved about meals on other cruises they incorporated into their food service and what I hated they left out.

Single Seating Service

The overriding difference between river and ocean cruising is size. For me that was good news. Everything I wanted was either on the same floor as my stateroom or one floor down. I could be in my room one minute and in the next I could be sitting in the dining room.

Here's a peek of the dining room on the evening of the regional buffet. dig those desserts! — Here’s a peek of the Restaurant on the evening of the regional buffet. Dig those desserts!

Each meal was served in one seating and you sat wherever you wanted. One thing I had really liked about assigned seating on ocean cruises was that your server really got to know you and within a day or two they had all your preferences down. It also narrowed down the thousands of possible table mates to a table-full of people to have dinner with and I’d always been lucky enough to really like the people we sat with. Well, on the riverboat, we got to know all the servers and by the end of the cruise each of them knew us well enough to provide incredibly individualized service. The small number of passengers also made cruise friends a lot easier to find.

Two Dining Venues

We chose to eat all our meals in the Restaurant. The spacious room had tables of various sizes spread comfortably around the room. On both sides were large windows looking out onto the river, sometimes at a city where we were docked and at other times at changing scenery, as the boat made its way to the next destination. In the center of the room was a three-sided buffet for breakfast and lunch. Dinner was usually from the menu, except for a special regional buffet one evening.

The Aquavita Terrace Buffet on the Regional Buffet night. — The Aquavit Terrace Buffet on the Regional Buffet night.

The other venue was the Aqauvit Terrace. Had the weather been a tad warmer, we would probably have been all over this, especially at lunch. The Terrace was at the bow of the boat, offering a view of the scenery ahead. Half of the seating is actually outside on the deck, but some is inside a glass-encased section at the end of the lounge. That’s where the buffet is and all the meals in the Terrace are served buffet style. Rumor had it that the Terrace menu focused more on sandwiches, salads and small plates, many of which were included on the Restaurant’s menu. Perhaps I should have checked it all out for you, but I was on vacation after all.

All the Wine You Can Drink

This was one of my favorite things about the cruise. The battle of the bottle on the other ships was a confrontation we could not win. On Viking we couldn’t lose, because there was no battle. Each evening they had a small selection of wines, both red and white, which were included in the price of the cruise. Most nights it seems there were only two (one red, one white) but on some of the evenings regional specialties were included which expanded the selection.

My husband, who is a little more picky about wine than me, was always quite pleased with the red choice. I adored the white wines, especially the regional specialties. If you are a wine snob, there is a package you can buy that affords you premium wines, but we didn’t need it and we didn’t meet anyone who did.

It really is all the wine you can drink. Once the wait person finds out which color you prefer for the evening, they’ll keep pouring it for you until you tell them to stop. If mid-meal you want to change colors, that’s fine too. I don’t exactly know how they afford to be so generous, but this single act of generosity endeared me to them forever.

I’ve still got a lot more to say about food, but I’ve run out of words today, so come back next week for a description of the meals.

Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, Restaurants & Bars, TRAVEL

The Question of Food When Cruising

May 11, 2016May 10, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: WHAT I LIKE AND DISLIKE ABOUT DINING AT SEA

Food is one of the biggies on a cruise and Viking has it down pat. You’d have a hard time feeling hungry at anytime on board, yet it’s not the obscene food orgy of ocean cruising.

Cruise Food I Have Loved

My favorite food I’ve ever had on any boat was a dessert on the Carnival Ecstasy. I ordered it the first night, because it was chocolate. I ordered it the rest of the nights, because it was the best thing I had ever put in my mouth. The name of the chocolate creation, which I cannot for the life of me remember, did it no justice. I have no picture of it, but will never forget it. The rest of the food on the boat was good, sometimes really good, but it wasn’t the best overall I ever had.

The best dining experience on any ship was on Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas. I was traveling with all the people I loved best, so that may have enhanced the enjoyment. This was old fashioned cruising where you really dressed up for dinner and had assigned seating at a specific time in a single venue. Every meal, every night was a unique and wonderful experience. We also had the best waiter I have ever had aboard any ship any where.

What You Won’t Suffer on a Viking River Cruise

I am not a fan of multiple restaurants on a cruise. I don’t want to make reservations. I don’t even want to have to make a decision about which restaurant I’m going to choose. I don’t want to pay a premium. I like it the way Viking had it. They just fed me.

On our “Free-styling” Norwegian cruise a few years ago, my husband felt like the only style unavailable was the one we wanted – particularly when it came to breakfast. Breakfast is his favorite meal. He loves to linger over the menu and the meal. The only sit-down breakfast service on that cruise was quite early in the morning and on a cruise, Bill doesn’t do anything early in the morning. On top of that he had to navigate the huge buffet, when all he really wanted was for someone to bring him exactly what he wanted for breakfast and he wanted it piping hot. Was it a lovely breakfast buffet? Yes, but he didn’t want a breakfast buffet. Viking solves all of this.

Another of our pet peeves with Ocean Cruising has been the battle of the bottle. We like wine with dinner. While we love a particularly good wine, we’re perfectly happy with a decent wine. On-board various ships we’ve ordered by the glass, ordered by the bottle and pre-ordered a selection of wines. Either way we’ve done it we’ve felt the ouch of the price, because we know we can get a perfectly good wine at Trader Joe’s for around $10 a bottle and it bothers us to pay more for less. To make things more interesting Bill loves red and thanks to my sinuses I prefer to drink white. Viking made wine with dinner a breeze for the same price of a breeze.

And speaking of bottles, even getting a glass of water on your average cruise ship is a hassle. They’ll sell you a soft drink package, they’ll tempt you with fancy cocktails and they’ll charge you for a bottle of anything – even water, but try whetting your thirst for free. It’s not easy. Viking completely abandoned that business model. There were bottles of free water all over the place and a dispenser for bubbly and still water at the coffee station.

On most cruises I sort of feel like the emPHAsis is on the wrong sylLAble, as my mother used to say. There’s entirely too much attention paid to shoving food down your mouth. It takes a page or two of the daily newspaper to explain all the food choices and then if all else fails, they will deliver food to your stateroom 24 hours a day. I had all I could eat and more on Viking, but I didn’t have to make a career of managing my food choices.

So now that we have discussed cruise food in general, next week I’ll introduce you to the way Viking does food.

ART, DESTINATIONS, DFW Metroplex, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Hanging Out at DFW

May 9, 2016May 13, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL HERE: INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURES AT DFW

I’m not exactly a fan of DFW, but if I have to go out there I hope I’m flying out of terminal D. For one thing, that means I might be going out of the country, which is always good news to me. For the other, it is by far the best terminal from which to depart.

New and Improved Travelers

There was a time when my husband tried to push the travel envelope to the very edge. He wanted to find out just how close he could cut it. It seemed every trip we were the passengers breathlessly running aboard as they closed the door. Unfortunately, I had been raised by a father who considered earliness to be next to godliness. That race for the plane thrilled my excitement junkie hubby, but I would go into pure panic mode.

Over the years we’ve both mellowed out. This is a good thing, since these days, travel is a very different endeavor from what it was twenty years ago. Anybody pulling a last minute maneuver, like some we did back in the day, would find themselves cooling their heels in some TSA holding space.

Nowadays we get to the airport with hours to spare. We treat the terminal like a tourist attraction, tasting the local treats and checking out the souvenirs.

A Plug for Park &’N Fly

When we fly, our car is parked at the Park ‘N Fly facility on Park Lane. We drive in. A bus pulls up and a nice driver pops out to help us with our bags. Frequently we are driven directly to our terminal, but even at busy times we get from our car to our gate lickety split. The nice driver offloads your bags and you’re almost done.

Over the last year, we joined Costco and guess what! Park ‘N Fly, which is already a bargain at full price, has discounted rates with Costco coupons. You buy 5 day blocks of tickets for $35 and we’re talking discounted. The price is so cheap that we saved money with the coupons even though we had to buy and extra day. The coupon never expires, so we’ll jut hold on to it until the next trip – maybe the one we’ll make to visit our new friends in Oregon we met aboard the Viking Tor.

Our driver for this trip may just be the most charming we’ve ever had. He was filled with the joy of his salvation and was listening to a sermon on his sound system. He politely asked if that was OK with us, but we just amen-ed with him and said a few hallelujahs. He asked where we were headed and when he found out about our cruise on the Danube he really wanted to go along.

Hurry Up and Wait

At the Lufthansa check-in we stared down the kiosk and tried to determine which number or piece of paper it preferred, but we were grateful when someone came to assist us with the check-in, especially since I had already theoretically done that online. It seems to me that all this digital stuff just makes more work. Used to be you called up your travel agent to buy your fare, got a hard copy ticket, took it to the desk and were checked in. Now you dabble online to find a ticket, get a virtual ticket, check-in online, get a virtual boarding pass, fritz with the kiosk at the airport, get pieces of paper and still have to report to a live agent to check-in your bags. Convenience, schamenience!

The line for the TSA security check was not too bad and then we were in, with a couple of hours left to kill. I had visions of sitting down over a good meal at Cafe Izmir, Cool River Cafe, III Forks or Sky Canyon. Then I made the mistake of allowing Bill to see the directory of restaurants and ended up at Popeye’s. You may think I’m kidding, but it’s the truth. Bill loves Popeye’s and since we’re usually trying to eat healthy we stay away. With all food being calorie free on vacations (wink wink) he wanted to get some.

Murdering Time

After our chicken we roamed the terminal and looked at all the places we could have eaten and checked out the shops. Along the way we saw some interesting art installations spread throughout the space. We really began to feel like tourists. Many of the most beautiful installations were mosaics on the floor which photograph poorly. We also found this interesting public interactive.

We decided it was getting close enough to departure time that we should get to our gate. They’d decided to start boarding early to beat some turbulence, so getting there early had been a good thing.

If you’re coming through Dallas or leaving from our airport, I hope you’ll get to enjoy Terminal D. If not, you’re stuck with the usual. Maybe if you’re stuck there long enough on a layover you could take the train over to D and dine in style.

On Wednesdays I’m sharing my Viking River Cruise, the reason we were at the airport in the first place. Please check back and share the adventure.

Accommodations, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Who Do You Cruise with on Viking River Cruises?

May 4, 2016April 28, 2016 Jane Sadek

20160421_210026 — Our best cruise buddies with one of our favorite waiters.

TRAVEL THERE: MY SAILING COMPANIONS ON VIKING TOR

Our first cruise was our honeymoon. We sailed around the Hawaiian Islands on a line that no longer exists. It gave us taste for cruising that hasn’t gone away, but our first moments in Hawaii made us very nervous. When we climbed aboard the bus to the boat terminal, it looked as if we’d caught the wrong bus. Surely all those people with canes, wheelchairs and oxygen tanks were on their way to the hospital, not to a cruise! Come to find out, we were on the right bus and once we were aboard the ship, the wheel chairs and oxygen tanks melted into the general population of passengers.

On our last ocean cruise, the geriatric set was also in proportion, but we wondered where the beautiful people had disappeared to. Apparently Norwegian had corralled them behind the walls of The Haven. We’re not the suite sort, but we also felt a little out of place among the 30 million screaming kids and a large contingency from OUfFWG (Overeaters United for Further Weight Gain). We kept reminding ourselves that diversity is good, but we also wanted a few more people from our team to show up. I’m not exactly sure what to call our team. Maybe MBSK (Mature But Still Kicking)? Or Thirty Something Plus?

Viking Had Our Team

From the moment we boarded the Viking Tor Longship, we felt at home. Diversity was immediately evident. Though the primary language was English, you could also hear a polyglot of other languages. Skin colors ranged from Nordic Pale to nearly black. However, throughout the week I noticed the darkest passengers seemed more Indian than African. There were zero kids. The youngest person I met was either late twenty-something or early thirty-something. I didn’t ask. I just guessed. The oldest was in her nineties.

I’d say about 70% of the passengers were hetrosexual couples. Most of the other people I met were various groups of women traveling together – either friends on a girls trip or multi-generational family groups. I didn’t meet everyone and certainly didn’t quiz anyone about their sexual preferences.

There were blind people, wheelchair-bound people, people with walkers or canes and one lady whose hair was growing back in after some sort of brain surgery. The woman growing her hair didn’t like to walk and was just taking the cruise for the benefit of her husband. The cruise staff made every effort to accommodate handicaps of any sort. In each city there was an “easy” walking tour to facilitate anyone who wanted to enjoy the tour but was worried about hampering the progress of other passengers.

Our Best Cruise Buddies

Usually in the mornings Bill and I made a point of finding someone new to sit with for breakfast. Most of those encounters were very pleasant and we enjoyed the acquaintance of several groups through our endeavors. One morning we bombed out completely. I think we inadvertently interrupted a couple having a disagreement, but didn’t realize it. When we asked to join them they welcomed us to the table. There just wasn’t very much said after that.

We’d also crowd hop in the evenings when the passengers met in the lounge. On the first evening, we ran into someone we’d seen in the airport in Frankfurt. They ended up being our best cruise buddies. I was excited when we met them in the airport, because they were from one of our favorite places, Oregon. They were there with some of their best friends and the six of us really bonded.

The couples, Deb & Mike and Gwen & John were traveling together to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversaries, which were only a few days apart. The girls had know each other for an even longer period of time. We were roughly in the same age group and shared many of the same interests. As the days passed, the friendship grew and I hope we’ll be friends for ever.

I’ve used up all my words today. Come back next week and we’ll talk about the food and beverage service.

DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Heading Out to the West Texas Town of El Paso

April 29, 2016April 28, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL BUG TALES: OUR FIRST REAL VACATION

As promised, it’s time to get back to our family trip to El Paso and New Mexico. The year was 1967 and we’d recently moved back to Texas. I call it our first real vacation, because the only vacation our family took before then was coming to Texas from wherever my dad’s job had him stationed at the time.

Going Batty

Our primary destination for this family vacation was Carlsbad Cavern. We planned on taking the tour into the caverns, but Mom was insistent that we must first experience the flight of the cavern’s bats on the evening before. Somehow El Paso and White Sands National Park worked themselves into the mix.

I’m sure the inclusion of El Paso had something to do with I-20. This was back in the days before the Middle East Oil Crisis (the first one, not the recent one), so you could legally drive 80 miles an hour on I-20 in West Texas. In reality you could drive as fast as your car would go.

I can tell you this. If the speed limit was 80, you can rest assured my dad stayed two or three clicks below, so he could be sure he wasn’t breaking the law. George was a stickler for that sort of thing. Mom was a little more interested in making good time and there were usually “discussions” about Dad’s slow poke methodology.

Getting an Early Start

My dad was a Canteen Officer for Veterans Administration Hospitals, which meant he got up early on workdays to oversee the preparation of breakfast in the cafeteria. Since Dad woke at 4:45 every weekday morning, he didn’t see any harm in waking the rest of us at 4:45 on the first day of vacation.

For many years, Mom would wake us up at the start of a vacation and give us a good breakfast – make that a very heavy breakfast with eggs, bacon, toast and who knows what else. On any other day of the year a bowl of cereal, hot or cold, was considered a perfectly good breakfast, but for some reason, when we left on vacation, I was supposed to want the full monty.

The only problem was that once we got on the road, I would yell out, “Mom, my throat hurts!” This was family code for, “I’m car sick and am about to throw up.” Dad would pull over to the side of the road where I’d wrench open the door and deposit all of that good breakfast into the gravel, only it didn’t look quite as good by then. Within a few miles I’d be hungry again and would stay that way for the rest of the morning until my parents decided it was time for lunch.

Eventually, I permanently associated that “good breakfast” my father was so fond of with motion sickness. To this day I will not eat scrambled eggs or omelettes under any circumstance. Only during the last few years have I reluctantly succumbed to my husband’s desire to share a meal of eggs from time to time. He loves the things and whips up a late breakfast for us occasionally. I explained over and over why I didn’t eat eggs, but my husband doesn’t really know how to take no for an answer. So he fries up an egg to the point where the yolk will not run under any circumstances and the whole thing could be bounced on the floor. Then I will eat the egg, but I don’t want to get in the car for awhile.

By the time we went on this particular trip, I was 12 years old and was no longer subjected to having the “good breakfast.” I was able to toast up the blueberry Pop-Tart I usually had for breakfast. I didn’t like icing, but I would toast it with a pat of butter – a feat possible only because we used a Vintage Munsey Toaster rather than toasters which would actually pop-up the Pop Tart.

Our family had adopted another travel modification to avoid my “sore throat.” Though our 1966 baby blue Pontiac Catalina had seat belts, I was not required to wear them when I was feeling iffy. Instead I was allowed to sit on the edge of the backseat and hang my elbows over into the front. From this privileged position between my parents I could see out the windshield and the family avoided any unpleasantness. I learned I could pretty much sit like that whenever I desired, because no one wanted to take any chances.

Next week I’ll tell you how I failed my first assignment of responsibility as a traveler. I hope you’ll join me then.

Accommodations, Attractions, Cruising, DESTINATIONS, International, TRAVEL

Waltzing Along the Danube with Viking River Cruises

April 27, 2016May 5, 2016 Jane Sadek

20160419_115712

TRAVEL THERE: OUR VIKING RIVER CRUISE, WONDERFUL IN EVERY WAY

On Monday I had a little fun with you about the joys of coming home from a vacation, but the truth of the matter is that I thoroughly enjoyed our Viking River Cruise. I can’t think of a single reason why you wouldn’t want to call your travel agent this minute and book one of their marvelous experiences. My frustration with the size of the room could have been resolved by one of the Viking suites if money were no object, but money is always an object.

River Cruising vs. Ocean Cruising

This was our sixth cruise and our second on a river. We definitely prefer river cruising, but you might not. If you like the casino, shopping arcade, pools, kid’s activities, theaters, gyms and spas, then you should stick to ocean liners. If you think you’d like remarkable access to amazing destinations, individualized service and a relaxing atmosphere, then I might have just the thing for you.

We loved being two of the only 190 guests on the Viking Tor. Everything (and I do mean everything we wanted) was included in the price of the cruise. The boat was full of cozy little places to relax and enjoy our time on board, instead of the craft being stuffed cheek to jowl with attractions designed to separate us from a little more of our money. We returned to the same dining room for every meal where our waiters quickly learned our preferences and we made friends around the table, instead of being shuffled from dining room to dining room with a new waiter every night, never seeing the same passengers twice. We sat on the Sun Deck with plenty of elbow room and a pair of riverbanks to watch, instead of suffering the frenetic pool scene of an ocean liner. Best of all, there were no roving photographers trying to get us to pose for yet another picture every time we turned around.

More River vs. Ocean Trade-offs

I’ll admit we’ve enjoyed some great entertainment on ocean liners. There are no Broadway spectacles aboard a Viking Longship, but they still managed to provide satisfying entertainment. I wouldn’t have minded a gym, for morning workouts, but with walking tours at almost every stop, I usually managed to meet my step goal for the day.

And speaking of walking tours, I adored the shore excursions on Viking. I’m not a big fan of getting drunk on a pirate boat or a private island. I don’t snorkel, scuba dive or participate in other water sports. While I enjoy shopping excursions, my husband is not really happy with the dings on his credit card bill. There’s usually one day on an ocean cruise where I really enjoy an excursion, like the Road to Hana in Maui or Dzibilchaltun on the Yucatan peninsula, but on the other days, I would gladly trade my experience in on a good museum.

Aboard the Viking Tor, we woke almost every morning to discover we were docked at yet another wonderful destination. After breakfast we joined a knowledgeable guide, usually for a walking tour, but in the bigger cities, a bus tour. Even with the bus tours we’d get out of the bus and wander around various sites. The guides were knowledgeable, personable and delightful. The focus of the tours was to teach us something about the destinations and familiarize us with the lives of its inhabitants, now and in the past. Drinks were not served and we weren’t abandoned at shopping opportunities with no hope of exit without a purchase. Instead we drank in the beauty and chewed on the history. If we were interested in shopping, there was plenty of free time.

And There’s More!

I’ve only begun to rave. Come back next week and I’ll cover some more of the generalities of the cruise, like who our fellow passengers were and what the food was like, so you can get an even better idea of whether you are a river cruiser or an ocean cruiser.

Cruising, DESTINATIONS, DFW Metroplex, Road Trips, TRAVEL

Cruise Report: The Return

April 25, 2016April 27, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL HERE: NO MATTER HOW HUMBLE, THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Most folks who travel will tell you one of the best parts of the trip is coming home. I have to agree with them. I loved my recent cruise on the Danube, but sleeping in my own bed has its advantages.

What Did I Miss Most?

What I always miss most during my travels is Diet Dr Pepper. No airport in the world has my beverage of choice. A few airlines will offer it, but very few and certainly not Lufthansa or United. Soda machines outside Texas rarely have it and locating a six pack of it at my American destinations can be somewhat of a challenge. Finding any Dr Pepper product along the Danube was not going to happen, so once a day I would settle for a Coke Light to get my daily dose of caffeine. Coke Light is the European answer to our Diet Coke. Coke Zero? Forget about it!

Other Things I Lacked

I missed my bed and most particularly my top sheet. The mattress, though smaller than the one we sleep on at home, was perfectly comfortable. The contour sheet, pillow and pillow cases were all very well and good, but the only cover we got was a comforter. It was a very nice comforter, but I really missed having a top sheet.

Another thing wrong with the bed was that it was attached to the boat and at 3 AM in the morning, when the captain put the pedal to the medal, everything on the boat would vibrate. When I was a kid I thought it was cool to put a quarter in the hotel bed and enjoy the vibrations, but I giggled all the way through the “massage.” On the boat I would come awake wondering what was happening and then figure out that I’d been wakened by the boat’s vibrations – again. Of course, then I’d toss and turn. I was too hot with the comforter on and felt weird without a top sheet, so I’d usually stay awake until it was finally time to get out of bed – not by choice, of course.

When I did get up, I immediately regretted the tiny bathroom in our cabin. While the length of the shower was more than sufficient, for my money, I’d have preferred a little more elbow room in the other direction. I’m not a fan of showers, so I stood as close to the showerhead as I could, to get the most of me wet or I’d get a chill. Hence, I was stuffed into the front of the shower stall banging into the walls and doors – a far cry from my large soaking tub at home. Sitting on the toilet was particularly claustrophobic, but there was enough room for the brushing of teeth.

I moved the rest of my ministrations into the main room, taking over what I think was supposed to be a desk, but it made for a great vanity table – with the exception of the light. To turn on the light above the mirror, I would have had to turn on all the lights in the room. Not a good idea with Bill enjoying his final moments of sleep. (He had no problem with the vibrations, for which I was glad, but a little envious.) So, I would crack open the curtain of the sliding glass door which was right next to me – the benefit being that I put on my make up with natural light.

All Is Forgiven

In truth, I know these are minor irritations. While I struggled with the bed and bath, I was not cooking meals or washing dishes. A maid showed up to make up the bed and restock the linens. I didn’t fight the crowds at the grocery store or worry about traffic. In fact, I didn’t worry about anything. I didn’t know or care who was ahead in the election process or if anyone had been blown up. Even if I was missing my Diet Dr Pepper, having a bottomless glass of wine at dinner certainly made up for it.

20160422_213554 — Sorry, you have to imagine the frog voices.

As much as I love traveling there was one very priceless moment as I arrived at our home. The night was pitch black except for a brilliant full moon. I couldn’t wait to get out and take a picture. As soon as I opened the car door I could hear our frogs. They were all singing their welcome. I’ve identified three types of voices, the basso bullfrogs, frogs with a clicking sort of song and the sopranos screaming at the top of their voices. Thankfully the sopranos only sing a few nights out of the year, but they were out in full force when we arrived.

The picture didn’t come out very well, but I’ve shared it anyway. In the coming weeks I will share all the wonderful things we did on our cruise and all the amazing things the crew did to make it a memorable experience.

So, I’ll be changing things around here on the blog again. Mondays will remain Travel Here stories about things to do in the Metroplex. Wednesdays will return to Travel There stories where I’ll tell you all about the cruise. Travel Bug Tales, which were started as a sort of filler, have become very popular, so they’ll replace At Home in Heath on Fridays and if I have Rockwall County things to share with you, I’ll include them on Mondays. So I hope you’ll join me Wednesday for my first installment on the cruise.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Keeper of the Plains in Wichita KS

January 6, 2016January 8, 2016 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: THE RING OF FIRE CEREMONY FOR THE KEEPER OF THE PLAINS

I’d just like to complain a little bit. This particular attraction was the sum total of things available to me in Wichita KS. It’s not that they don’t have museums and gardens. It’s that the museums and gardens were all against me. They closed about the time I got there Friday. They opened back up when I went into the Ministry Event, but closed when I got out. Then they waited until I left town to open up again. Thank you Keeper of the Plains for lighting your firepots for me.

Dramatic Positioning

Our waitress at Taste and See gave us great directions to the site of the Keeper of the Plains. We found parking and saw the pedestrian bridge before we could see the Keeper. Once the Keeper came into sight, it was clear he’s in a very dramatic position. He stands at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers and looks down towards the modern city.

The Keeper himself is a work of modern art, but he makes me think of the popular Kokopelli figure. While Kokopelli is hunched forward, the Keeper stands erect with his face lifted to the Great Spirit.

As we approached the pedestrian bridge, with its bow and arrow motif, the arch of the bridge framed the Keeper. Each perspective seems to add to the mystery of the great figure atop a stone outcropping.

Once across the bridge, we entered an open-air interpretive center explaining the spiritual significance of the Keeper to Native Americans. From this position you are below the stone out-cropping, looking up at the Keeper. Soft tribal music fills the air in the interpretive area making it feel like a sacred place.

There are paths below the outcropping that allow you to walk all the way around the statue. The area is dark, so it was quite popular with couples. Deb and I were a little out of place.

Having seen the statue up close, we decided to wander back across the bridge and enjoy the Ring of Fire ceremony from afar.

I Anticipated the Wrong Ring

Across the river along the esplanade was several tiers of seating and a different type of tribal music was playing, “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Deb and I climbed to one of the upper tiers and watched a couple of little boys dance to the trippy little tune. As we enjoyed the boys I tried out the panoramic feature on my phone I had discovered at Myriad Botanical Gardens. The light wasn’t right, but I will share the results anyway.

Finally the moment came and flames erupted in the firepots at the Keeper’s feet, but that wasn’t what I was expecting. I wanted fire to blaze between the hands of the Keeper. Careful reading of the information I found revealed they’d had all the prepositions right, I’d just decided I didn’t want it that way, so I ignored them. My purposeful ignorance did not change a thing. The magic light did not appear for me.

I grabbed a final shot for you and we went back to the car. This was Friday night. We spent Saturday in the arena and enjoyed the seafood buffet at the hotel that evening. The next morning we headed home. We experienced the worst service I’d ever had at a McDonald’s somewhere along the way in Oklahoma. Then we were home.

I took this trip in mid-September. When I got home there were still several articles about the San Antonio Stroll on my blog waiting for posting. I went ahead and wrote all the items on the Wichita trip as soon as I got home, knowing the series would not start until late October, but not wanting to miss the details. You are reading this in the new year, but I am writing them on a beautiful September afternoon in Dallas. I wonder what will be going on in the New Year of 2016.

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