tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18918181760399543112024-03-17T18:28:44.637-07:00The Wandering Warners: Seniors Seeing the World.....................................................Kathy and Brian wander and explore the world.Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.comBlogger4600125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-5056502846416759892024-03-17T10:09:00.001-07:002024-03-17T11:05:01.881-07:00Budapest to Birch Bay<p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">It's been awhile since we last posted from the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest.</p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_cc98_b5df_e2d4_99dd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1OYkAXDFr4WO2WjJtPVf12r8XasjJfify" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4b1a_5ea_a0c1_98f3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1JCD6oHKe2oCy4rJNMkcfqnmVwg4J9pOD" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The remainder of our short trip (five nights in Budapest) was uneventful. For most of our stay we were plagued by jet lag symptoms such as waking up <span dir="ltr">at 2:00 AM</span> and being unable to get back to sleep for several hours. We’re hoping it resulted from a too easy trip over, an overnight flight in business class giving us a few hours of sleep, a leisurely overnight stay at the Heathrow Hilton, and a relatively short flight the following day from London to Budapest.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">We’re already thinking about our upcoming trip to Europe with an active 11-year-old grandson, and hoping we can keep up with him. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">On our final night in Budapest we walked a couple of blocks to an Italian restaurant owned by the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. It was, well, okay. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_f9d8_b0a0_c9e_ebd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/175gNJZXMZDrwry6FxHjbx31JKN3T_fwX" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_293f_9818_b13b_173d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1jJPDT_1Cv-obL5fcP6Gou24JzlN8LAtT" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6b84_4de0_6962_30c0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1snVEctv5zOw57U1SRU_B0NCkWRHMFnVI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_cce1_a46c_cfc9_5b58" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/13yK9QERbPB7E5qVBUBupI2W6yg216sSv" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c9df_3393_de02_c7d1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/18ruZ0Dil1xyjNSVTcV0S21wYZcGoAZTA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our stroll back to the Hilton gave us one last chance to admire the sights of Castle Hill, now illuminated.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_b7be_40d_6468_eb16" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1--GWI08_x4sZz_n5OVbh3WjH8uBHFDbd" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>To be frank, we were a little disappointed in our food experiences in Budapest. The fact we chose an Italian restaurant on our final night there is indicative of that. Everything was fine, but there were no special flavors that jumped out at us and tickled our taste buds.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Kathy actually prepared <i>Chicken Paprikash</i> the other night when daughter Karen and son-in-law Chuck visited us, and it was far superior to anything we tasted in Budapest, even though Kathy didn’t consider it one of her best efforts. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">To make a perfectly ridiculous generalization, we do prefer the cuisines of Western Europe to those we’ve experienced in Eastern Europe, but that only motivates us to explore Eastern Europe more and to search out great meals. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">We offer a quick note on our airport transfers. Brian had booked return trips during a Christmas sale at Sun Transfers, a large outfit that serves Budapest as well as many other places. Our drivers were friendly, showed up on time, and got us to our destinations, but the trips themselves were a little too exciting for our tastes, especially the return trip to the airport. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Our driver tried to avoid the busy main roads and took us on some bumpy side streets that included some rather rundown sections of the city and a light industrial area. By the time we arrived at the airport, Kathy in particular was feeling quite carsick. The streets were busy but the airport itself was quiet and we zipped through a friendly security line in record time and spent some time in a small and crowded contract lounge before boarding our first flight.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">We even got to watch our A319 arrive.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_2bd6_3af7_fc41_85d5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1volb2oT5qJu82JHVfDu01yKF7qJKHIyE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8a2a_261_abb2_5cd5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1EPmLcJQMtDIBClnX9485oO6D-NXEZdqc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The return flights on British Airways mirrored our outbound flights, Budapest to London Heathrow to Vancouver (BUD-LHR-YVR). We experienced again the agonizing lack of legroom that seems to characterize BA intra-European flights. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_3a5a_4863_71c7_ed45" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1L-eFKQTqMwt_oZtBwjLp29E1zUqsaJQ2" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Having the blocked middle seat in European-style business class helps a little, but not much.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">We landed and departed for our onward flight to YVR from the same Terminal 3. It still took us the better part of an hour but it gave us time to visit the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge (one of the perks of our OneWorld Emerald status) and enjoy Dim Sum and other delights.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_9e8f_745_c716_bc9c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1RrbbSzXicRHmPTa8Av2JqQ43NP0OkY1j" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6911_af6f_341a_ecbe" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1GwMM3DQ2folmhkfsoxadC5nmGVPMp7qS" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6d04_e4a0_84d0_2f96" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1eyqvY1v5sX7PyDMMZL95XG684KBGxAc2" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>To continue our cranky little tirade about seating, the low-backed chairs in the CX lounge lean back too far for our tastes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_1a58_4ddf_9aea_996f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Gnb_lGFFfQGCycdkFOqPAV1LSaJh6CSZ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_70cf_cfa5_d1ca_5ae7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1a5FEf5Sva-811tXcol2uGXfcVeAvBp6J" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We actually sneaked down the hall to the business lounge for the opportunity to sit in real chairs before boarding our flight to YVR. Could it be our own bodies that are the problem? Nah…</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Once aboard our BA A350, Kathy fell asleep almost immediately and skipped dinner. That’s generally not a great loss on BA. Brian did eat dinner, and could assure Kathy she wouldn’t have enjoyed the so-called Beef Tartare appetizer all that much.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_4b61_7395_103a_3fc5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1_NvTWjMw3mhlz3ksCIcek87iZdkxsx48" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Brian accidentally triggered a parental control guard on his entertainment system, and a flight attendant had to visit some master control system in the front galley to deactivate it.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_aa76_7989_8e10_d3ed" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1s-2Gb0pafxqq7IKrJ1sbgKYwtnqHlmTd" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Brian slept through the pre-arrival meal, and, despite a delayed departure we landed at YVR in good time. The airport was quiet and we were able to access a virtually empty NEXUS line to process our arrival on a machine and present the printout to a bored immigration official.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">The favorable weather we’d experienced on this trip continued to prevail at YVR on a clear evening without a hint of rain. A Park’N Fly shuttle arrived before long and took us back to the lot, where our car awaited us. Incidentally, the cost for a week plus a couple of hours of valet parking was almost exactly US $100 all in, a relative bargain compared, say, to Seattle Airport parking. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">It was a relatively quiet 45-minute evening drive from the airport back to our house, with no delay at the US border. Almost before we knew it, we were home and in bed by <span dir="ltr">around 10:00 PM</span> local time.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Between catching up on sleep, dealing with miscellaneous tasks, and readying ourselves for our next trip, we’ve managed to keep occupied during our brief stay at home. Kathy in particular has spent some serious time at the computer, reviewing not only our itineraries but those of relatives and friends who’ve asked for her help. A couple of examples…</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">First, Deutsche Bahn, the national railway company of Germany, canceled a previously booked train trip with grandson Jace from Frankfurt to Salzburg via Mannheim, cordially inviting us to drop by a Frankfurt train station to pick up a refund for our original seat reservation after Kathy booked a reservation for an earlier train. We just might try that when we’re in the Frankfurt Airport.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Kathy eventually managed to sort that one out, and we’ll hopefully still arrive in Salzburg early enough to check in at our hotel before attending a dinner performance of some of Mozart’s greatest hits.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">We hadn’t booked a hotel in Seattle for our late-May arrival from Australia. We were thinking of flying straight through from Brisbane to San Francisco to Seattle to Bellingham in one fell swoop, but our recent sleepless-in-Budapest experience motivates us to break up the trip with a 12-hour overnight stay at the SEA Doubletree.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Kathy also noticed that the add-on cost of the flight to Bellingham has dropped by $40 and rebooked it. That will average down the cost of that Seattle hotel stay. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Kathy checked a Birch Bay Village neighbor’s Alaska account yesterday and noticed that a $150 flight credit is expiring soon. She got in touch and offered help in booking a flight before that deadline.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">We can’t emphasize enough that money can be saved by continuing to check transportation and accommodation costs right up to the time of departure. We do enjoy an elite privilege of being able to rebook our Alaska flights if the price drops and having the refund credited to our account and used to purchase future flights. Others may not have that option, but can still take advantage of hotel rates that are reduced between the time of booking and arrival. It’s sometimes possible to save money simply by changing the reservation to a non-refundable rate.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">A week after we fly back from Europe with Jace the two of us are off to Lima, Peru for a week. This trip resulted from a flight credit when we canceled our planned trip to Ecuador due to civil unrest. We’ve been to Lima twice, and are looking forward to returning and sampling more <i>ceviche</i> in this quite wonderful food city. <br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Three weeks after we return from Lima, we’re off to Australia for one more Oz Fest, this one in Cairns. After all that, we intend to be stay-at-homes in Birch Bay for much of the summer. For now, keeping a close eye on those three upcoming trips, along with several trips of friends and relatives, keeps us busy. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">And not to forget work in the yard as Spring arrives in Birch Bay.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_50f4_add1_d715_c631" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1RGsXhBKm08fpSllDzu1pCp01eVlACAOp" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></p> Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-78145501062154142452024-03-05T14:55:00.001-08:002024-03-05T23:14:10.437-08:00A Night at the (Hungarian State) OperaThe homage to a classic Marx Brothers movie in the title reflects the exhilaration we felt at attending an opera in this splendid opera house.<div><br></div><div>Opening in 1884, it’s far from the largest opera house in Europe (capacity 1000-1200), but it ranks up near Milan’s La Scala in its acoustics, and renovations have maintained and enhanced its beauty.</div><div><br></div><div>We took it all in as we arrived via Bolt taxi (Bolt has worked well for us).</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_e671_24b2_cae2_4b37" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1M1nHyE_FHk_rrpx1Bw-HNpKksePnNw5b" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The expansive open areas and sweeping staircases were designed in part to allow the attendees to show off their finery, especially the ladies’ fancy gowns.</div><div><br></div><div>We didn’t forget to admire the ceilings and chandeliers.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f4af_7c1_1aeb_9852" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1lGWnaB3WUWKE5oWcnhvVY05xA3lpwCeQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><img id="id_32b3_48dd_1c9b_2c45" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1MHnhYLRZsgAJul1LwBZbsrhvimojAt0E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_b36_e1c_884_d27" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1GwV77Y3LyCSGJzQnFdcPOxrjhxx5-MWp" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Brian got a little disoriented in this corridor on his way back from the men’s room before the performance, stopping short of where he’d left Kathy, but managed to reunite with her in plenty of time to get seated before the overture.</div><div><br><img id="id_c698_a07_bf24_dc54" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1CinJYj1y8bfgn7ZAUCdYMGya5BsrRoPd" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The employees, including the ushers and cloakroom attendants, are all smartly attired.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ce9b_7b86_3ff0_e76d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1oZCEdNoorLlGWUwAimxAqagwazHpZYtF" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The interior of the auditorium itself is magnificent.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b396_80b0_591d_e95b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1MwafaqY2q2PSS-xUJ-z42XNkWQehWeZm" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"></div><div><br><img id="id_926f_45e4_3882_28d1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1EmJAbkDmnz5W2qbrwGEBM8sJO3iLgzNK" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_70e9_2242_6887_756f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1klJ1gtMUcIROb8We9vXzRDkh7iK8DTcj" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>There are numerous private boxes.</div><div><br><img id="id_ef55_8ee2_f688_a072" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1508y247DoIgay0mN8TXlDpxoopHLpA7u" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Naturally, we had to take a look at the orchestra pit.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9542_b271_3692_4086" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1S3JHTnBEOLwQBdA6XB_2CZrxUkG_F9yb" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The opera we attended was Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades. We were unfamiliar with it, but thoroughly enjoyed the lengthy production.</div><div><br></div><div>English surtitles displayed above the stage and on the seat backs in front of us told us all we needed to know about the plot.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3978_5f0e_38b7_8741" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1aJn43MKif6rkO-nvmYtzGFjfEsAHKc08" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>We two were quite satisfied with our center orchestra seats, row 9 on the aisle.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_68c1_aaef_38d6_be29" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1sAs1HidZgmDEj21ic7pwx08FISTGwpj4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>No photography is allowed during the performance but we, like others, snapped a a quick photo of the large cast during the numerous curtain calls.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_4b4b_40f_6113_71f0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1x0I3mmKk9K63qeNDB1DZCpE5slX_h_DL" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>As we leave the opera house some 3 1/2 hours later, we felt quite pleased for treating ourselves to the performance, at a fraction of the price we would have paid in some European capitals.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_11fc_f518_72ee_27f5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1gLLYlMQLtsYeIwa6EhBlmA3jXIE3mplu" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-43986745352020842292024-03-05T01:20:00.001-08:002024-03-05T01:54:16.308-08:00In Budapest: Overlooking the Fisherman’s BastionWe happened to be seated for breakfast in the Hilton this morning with a view similar to the one from our suite.<div><br></div><div><img id="id_dfd3_2f98_37e_b623" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1b79Em82mGH8zdNU8XV9a1ayTR8xfAIUY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d594_7501_2bd8_d844" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Qe6cGbZVeBi3XDpHtp25ZSP_DQKtyrrG" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>That’s Fisherman’s Bastion above. Although this famous site looks medieval, and was based on previous historical structures, it was actually built in the late 1800s. Its seven towers symbolically commemorate the seven Hungarian chieftains who founded Hungary in 895 AD.</div><div><br></div><div>Back upstairs in Room 307, we took a moment to enjoy our private views.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7058_6e3_b613_7bcf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1fuSIGzjbYKCSg_oJMAGiAI2D9QXzHsnT" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a18e_ea79_2462_817d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Aqeas7xtjS736XtAKH1eGQtZgdQUtBye" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5bc4_7220_8d38_a755" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1o0Suy_-4FnIBUk7Jkngc5TL7qB4cR2Uz" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><font size="4">According to Wikipedia, the Bastion “is one of the most important tourist attractions due to the unique panorama of Budapest from the Neo-Romanesque lookout terraces,” making the vista looking down on it from our windows extra special.</font></div><div><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-10256421202839590382024-03-04T12:57:00.001-08:002024-03-04T13:02:44.036-08:00Wandering Budapest Sunday morning proved to be beautiful, so we decided to walk around the area and work our down the hill toward the Danube.<div><br></div><div>Many steps later, we were strolling along the beautiful blue Danube, buying somewhat expensive tickets to ride the funicular back up to the top.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9a6c_2f9d_69c8_312a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1wPVJ6YXZT7rBeYobP-WyU_RItDMa0cwJ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3371_a482_82ba_b809" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1HD1Iu5OhsqSLVmzsQOuqiwzguSM91S0-" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9baa_ff40_e69d_3e84" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1KAvD-qP0LtPddKtid_TIPNYZZl-HoDCV" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9e96_7c84_853a_9bf4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/18-2Yt-zptoWcmJv9_pKqaI2ZSenjeil1" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We exited just in to watch the changing of the guard ceremony at the Presidential Palace.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://budacastlebudapest.com/changing-of-the-guards-at-the-buda-castle/">https://budacastlebudapest.com/changing-of-the-guards-at-the-buda-castle/</a></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5026_e5f_4d0d_46d6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1CeZORa2ONp-9VMvctgkcwhIi5a4C3xvO" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c508_ba1d_e307_fe1e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1KPnmUDBssPp0S_goeG4fqD_LbO3kFUfA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ab71_815e_39e_74fd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/12ngAuPjE_kV_oZVh21jbpY_Eo02D1Lam" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>After that, we wended our way back to the Hilton, enjoying the scenery along the way.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_63e7_decf_ccb6_8fee" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1T7Q50Gj9_bV5ygbDpRgkmxlSgiKoA99_" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_283e_c5c3_7304_5c94" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1HWM1OWOHCtG9ml-6_zIW85rFVyFMSosR" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We had dined in the Hilton’s restaurant the first night of our stay, and the restaurant manager, whom we’d met in the Executive Lounge, suggested we try the nearby Pest-Buda Bistro Sunday evening. Off we went.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b79d_71a9_ae96_5ed2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1SR-OVm_eL7BselBLfdU-lIH20xPA0Mha" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>It was geared somewhat for tourists, but we are tourists and don’t mind that. Besides, a multigenerational Hungarian family was celebrating a birthday nearby, so it’s a place that the locals must enjoy as well.</div><div><br></div><div>We both enjoyed the goulash soup as a starter.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3cde_9d0_ee01_70b3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1jQDfZPvpCDOa7mdF_AKG_Kxjxliqs0aR" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d6b8_10f0_ae56_875b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1UylakoC-pRsPSZE05KYjg3pD1vBRFu3S" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2f55_b492_a553_11dc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1cRT-6f66JnT2qNXeJ9Vf5FUfHax6RfTe" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Brian chose stuffed cabbage rolls for a main course.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_bbc1_95cc_6be4_a942" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1EFJU0goBzOG1x24ZNQB7MrsRHZSA63Go" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Kathy, of course, selected chicken paprikosh, which she enjoyed, while still preferring her own spicier version.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9fa5_23f3_6706_2a78" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1zqpuMq0eOSjAWZVhPrefzCndWm5k_K23" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The Hilton restaurant offers a great buffet breakfast, but Monday morning we had a 9:30 AM food tour scheduled, so slipped down the hall to the Executive Lounge, where we enjoyed a perfectly good breakfast, skipping the tempting breakfast bar offerings.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_a446_6656_314d_71b2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1vi2k2BLxKtcb1ChFTazKrLLY75CYb-ER" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We used the return portion of our funicular ticket to ride down the hill, and used Brian’s Bolt Taxi App to summon a cab. Uber isn’t allowed in Hungary, but this app is almost identical and proves to work like a charm.</div><div><br></div><div>Our destination was the Main Market Hall on the Pest side of the Danube. There we met Barbara of Taste Hungary Tours, who was taking us on their Cilinary & Eine Walk.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1ff9_92e1_b61c_eaeb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1JTj4FJeKBEvD3WzEK3WFrD2kL6olCppF" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Barbara is a charming young woman completely fluent in English, with food in her family background and education (her husband is Italian). Her knowledge of Hungarian cuisine is extensive, and we had her all to ourselves as the only people signed up for this Monday morning tour.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_44ae_2892_d0e8_d864" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/137kgFKv3h5bBtbti2VK7Nl-SaMJhFcC2" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_a46_f783_bb86_b20" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1XFlhcohUMa4GdTWcIAoONgegtUQTjq6K" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3825_53b3_a435_34a8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1FL-VXzagLZnkhB6NxgwaIlxnP3UG7cNz" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>We first toured the market hall itself, stopping at stall to sample Hungarian specialties such as Lángos, the garlic-covered fried flatbread.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_e2a7_df00_6321_43d0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1L8bmpn2lIl-zMdRf_U7PZeuiVq2FKuvg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>What would a Hungarian food tour be without salami?</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ef46_6ec5_dda1_9af9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1SfwOyCv6XtcghidLVFoEjqh8C6PqzLS2" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>That included our first (to our knowledge) taste of horse meat salami.</div><div><br></div><div>The displays of meats, poultry, fish, and vegetables were as impressive as those in any market we’ve visited.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_58a7_22ec_ab0d_bc56" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1g8X8OLmJhcy4mT_MnRVKuqYF5lqq-L9I" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2fbd_bef0_e76a_a4f3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1f3xLasRsmVzxixpDNJS_5zxqJXCwmCmH" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Goose and duck are popular here.</div><div><br><img id="id_ddee_ad01_36c8_27aa" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1ufSM8zQ5Z2EVmexX1yxdO-0WPw-27r_j" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Peppers, cabbage, and sauerkraut are practically staples here.</div><div><br><img id="id_d682_d929_8f4a_f912" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1JS0UzYW4b1cX16UTJEqyEE2IqMB9JO-p" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We eventually left the market hall, crossed a busy street, and found ourselves in a relatively quiet neighborhood that contained both the university law school and a venerable butcher shop turned restaurant. By starting the tour at 9:30 AM, we beat the morning rush and Barbara selected a variety of tasty and filling specialties that we couldn’t possibly finish.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_65e7_8d09_36d5_46ad" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1MAkZumj-6dFcFQWAjUk8oJamYuh8V6d8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_74f7_86f2_debe_5f75" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1fJtktYqmtzXs3rouhq2xbWSRUNmyMlVx" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a4e3_34df_98d4_34cb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/11Enpw48Pgoa5WQYRtI1amsD0F_uV9bKG" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our next stop was the Central Café and Bar, an 1887 coffeehouse in Austria-Hungarian style of Vienna’s.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d29b_731f_f4de_c7cd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1ON7vCp78unfkcF97zBXe2UkOf-amDvOy" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_285d_8424_6a74_ecd2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1OrbpH9POXiGDogsSGjBm4fQ1AQmEYMsZ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b9f5_84cc_4658_9c75" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1vP_vgW_SjjxRUIW6rIXpYnNh_pWoGtMp" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Cappuccinos and richly elegant desserts…</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6fd_4450_ab50_d3ab" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Ko_rxo7bLpPtVLYVeLx-4EPpI7V52CXp" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9c05_458e_12e7_728a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1FXm5Ot6jlDhjxpRxoRB3DVK4pLJYMM7v" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9bd3_93f3_e7e4_5cd0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1VkJ8FF30zHJ97jdbQuJn2Afvy5HcvGXY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>From the classy coffeehouse we proceeded to a charmingly seedy old bar, where we downed a locally famous digestif. Apparently the taste of Unicum grows on you.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3bf1_84cc_70b1_a6e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1xJsLZRqcpdczbR1fKBu9bCmZvvNRqU1O" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_249e_77b_369_cbe8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1vVeK6ysIGHrlr7-A19zzAbuvCs3xPv0h" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our final stop was a charming little wine shop where we taste a white, a red, and an impressive Tokay, each one introduced by our humorous host.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_22d6_f3a0_5e70_d92a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1XKKbGFphYi7hq9lmY0TWX_MVI3bOX323" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9179_2e0a_d96a_773c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1WGSgIUiRfXliTGQ1HD_cCLNG9qo5Xxin" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2ed4_ea34_b399_e723" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1kYEhuc-jTiv6MnHm8OVZ3ZKyZZd9ochE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e981_3ea9_f3f_9bbf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1UIkXFk_ZjzQPu_nAietheZoPh7q2XkRQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5bd0_e997_fde_28e1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1yX6DnYVyf_ac7wtoiKwWvscKxaR6ywWw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2942_c454_18d_8cb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1UnmYy72u741RShmBxv4uFqLQyCJ1YZOj" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_11d7_237_3ef4_8361" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1gDze_R3oAn-5Mmna89AhROBDffDUPki7" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We bought some more paprika to add to yesterday’s grocery store purchases, thanked Barbara for a terrific tour, and taxied back to the Hilton around 2:00 PM.</div><div><br></div><div>No thanks to dinner or even lounge snacks this evening. We’re stuffed!<br><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-67231114845383814642024-03-02T10:20:00.001-08:002024-03-02T10:32:24.527-08:00The Hilton Budapest: Twelve Years LaterIt doesn’t seem that long ago that we visited Budapest, yet it was 2012. In truth, for us that’s not that long ago!<div><br></div><div>We had arranged transportation through Sun Transfers, and a a friendly young driver with some skill in English picked us up, despite our flight’s late arrival.</div><div><br></div><div>The airport, as far as we could tell, only has ATMs of the Travelex or Euronet variety that offer lousy exchange rates, so we avoided them and offered our driver a tip in US dollars, which he gratefully accepted.</div><div><br></div><div>We were welcomed with typical Hungarian hospitality, and upgraded on our bargain rate to a magnificent 700-square feet Danube-view suite. That’s larger than the first apartment we two newlyweds lived in some 54 years ago!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_43ee_9d02_c278_2a6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1jpASfJBUn8eu0Pa7rsxqW6mGA_7CIcz9" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b5d0_91a5_124a_5b43" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1ErThOaAP9qKjAd9d6ZKJg-lKd4mPwZtV" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_fcda_a0a1_a967_caa3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1azYcBvxe-4SGZghlQ1X1byiv1RZhg_M3" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d3da_4b3e_231b_5071" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1-atvhuxNZmdxl_Xpb42eD1ahShPxTtEB" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4eba_d2c0_8d49_b3c7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1yJVAiXNeq4bIjwbX0BiFzeUi6QveWXTI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ee1d_47a7_502e_809e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1MptJkS21nyVSGsaEQNDNoGGsPYlCCuUX" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The views, once we figure out how to operate the electric sheer and blackout curtain openers, are magnificent.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_add_91d2_4706_49ce" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Qnmfq-TEk7VryL8j5nAM3ypN_-tcisx7" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e472_cd78_7232_7a09" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1CC-UZ1_4EK72m-HU1mooJ5UPYVvq5QZX" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b8f8_90f0_7f88_2752" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1nPTbb0mwLmthVKua8Lvq5cyXqDcbgr4P" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>DWKWIA?</div><div><br></div><div>Why yes, yes they do.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b9de_7c59_7239_683c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1UND8PfofApQviv-Vt5CRapddzx4QgPNA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-41807379494180061712024-03-01T23:17:00.001-08:002024-03-02T04:55:50.066-08:00Dining Our Way Across the AtlanticBreakfast aboard BA 84 YVR-LHR…<div><br></div><div><img id="id_df8b_2eef_e656_a4d3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1TQE-WtuxHIJ2yCpttlUAfmt7_qoQNkKF" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Dinner at the LHR Hilton…</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_c07b_d46a_283c_a1b3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/11vJ4NhhNRfT-KwtauGy3g4Wkhc4ZQ9rn" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_99b9_c945_47ff_a270" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1xJhAvAq7ke-kOs3W_pc2TziaUWEZ8VDn" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1043_8663_d828_88d7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1GyPlHesQwvVhgzs1XrALhSdlTihCbi6w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Breakfast at the LHR Terminal 3 Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge…</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_99b0_33a3_f61e_4ac5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1SXc2Ejfk0x_WBZHOSDWWBL_9HwSxe0QN" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2c9c_54d9_fd0d_55f9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1MVJqFkUn1oXh9kCZKz02Db6kYnq3TeRl" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1203_ed4f_410_1720" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1t4rSRXxAjGFxR6x_IUtJjEhmNWJoo7na" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6f59_f20e_614a_eedc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1zf15CoN-STxH8zI1-LnYhdeOk5vcJYl6" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2d33_1d78_9c4c_ef59" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1kbsmtqxx3iBoP_2p3GeWKSIOej6M1KIh" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Onward to Budapest on BA 868, and the second breakfast of the day.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7c31_e882_3f59_462d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1m4WKHYaZIB3ItmHN2CSiUS1Cu3ldDug6" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We’re currently relaxing in the Hilton Budapest Executive Lounge, waiting for our suite to be ready. They seem to appreciate Kathy’s Lifetime Diamond status here.</div><div><br></div><div>We like their attitude.</div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-37420513250509745502024-02-25T21:02:00.000-08:002024-02-25T21:10:19.155-08:00The Joys of Forint Travel<p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span></p><div class="moz-text-html" lang="x-unicode"><div id="edo-message"><span style="font-size: medium;">No, the title is not some strange misspelling
or
typographical error. Later this week we’re making a quick trip to
Budapest,
Hungary, the official currency of which is the <i>forint</i>, named
originally
after Florence, Italy, where gold coins were minted from 1252,
according to
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_forint#/media/File:Uj_forintok.png" target="_blank">Wikipedi</a>a. In Hungary the <i>florentinus</i>, later the <i>forint</i>, was used
from 1325.</span></div><div id="edo-original"><blockquote style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); height: min-content; margin: 1ex 0px 0px; padding-left: 0.5ex;" type="cite"><div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the 81 sovereign countries we’ve visited over the past couple of decades, there is
a special category in which the language and currency are
completely alien to
our experience. Along with all of Asia, several European countries
come
immediately to mind, chiefly Finland, Turkey, and Hungary. Road signs are
indecipherable, and it’s virtually impossible for us to acquire a
single word
of the local language, other than learning words like hello and
thank-you by
rote. <br /></span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); height: min-content; margin: 1ex 0px 0px; padding-left: 0.5ex;" type="cite"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Our recent visit to Athens reminded us why that old
expression “<a href="https://nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/its-greek-to-me/" target="_blank">It’s Greek to me</a>” appeared as far back as in Shakespeare’s <i>Julius Caesar,</i> even
though Greek
has had great influence on English and is part of the same large
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_languages" target="_blank">Indo-European language family</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">This will be our third trip together to
Hungary, the first
being with our three young children in the early 1980s. Back then
we had to
obtain fairly expensive visas at the Hungarian Embassy in Vienna,
and cross the
Iron Curtain to enter and to leave what was then a Communist
country, something
of an adventure in itself. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: inherit; font-size: medium; text-align: inherit;">The main purpose of that side trip during our first European summer was to visit the parents of a college friend Kathy had stayed with during
her college days in Vienna in the late 1960s. Back then, Kathy traveled to
Budapest twice, the second time to help
out her friend who had overstayed an entry permit, at some modest
peril to
herself. That’s a story for another day.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> Times have changed.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The point of this little travel history is that
after all of
these visits we still can’t understand a word of Hungarian, nor
can we even
recognize the sound of the language. Similarly, after spending a
month traveling
around the coast of Turkey on a yacht manned by a Turkish crew, we departed
knowing nothing
more than the “please” and “thank-you” we’d learned in advance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now of, course, we have utilized the free translation apps
on our phone,
Google Translate being one, that enable us to communicate in
rudimentary form,
and even to translate signs using the phone’s camera. Even so,
there’s
something especially exciting and even exotic about exploring such
countries.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Our itinerary is simple and brief, resulting
from a bargain
British Airways business class fare between Vancouver and Budapest via
London. We're staying in the Hilton Budapest, the same hotel we enjoyed <a href="http://www.wanderingwarners.com/2012/03/hilton-budapest-room-with-view.html" target="_blank">in 2012</a>. </span></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); height: min-content; margin: 1ex 0px 0px; padding-left: 0.5ex;" type="cite"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We've
bought tickets to attend a production of Tchaikovsky’s opera, <i>The
Queen of
Spades</i>, at the <a href="https://www.opera.hu/" target="_blank">Hungarian State Opera House</a>. We’re both unfamiliar
with it, and
fortunately have found a video of a live production for advance
listening. Like many
if not most operas, the plot is convoluted and frankly
nonsensical, but we’re
already enjoying the music and attending the production in
Budapest’s recently
renovated opera house should be most enjoyable for a couple of
retired music
teachers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We’ve also reserved a morning walking tour that
involves food and
wine, and we plan to bring some genuine Hungarian paprika back
home for, among
other dishes, Kathy’s famous - within our family - Chicken
Paprikash, (<span class="ky2igmncmogjharherah"><i>Paprikás Csirke</i></span>
in Hungarian) a recipe
she learned in Budapest from that same friend more than 50 years
ago. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Are we looking forward to our return to Budapest? <span class="rynqvb"><span lang="HU" style="mso-ansi-language: HU;">Igen
azok vagyunk!</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></pre>
</div></blockquote></div>
</div>
Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-33978680996433221432024-02-20T16:38:00.001-08:002024-02-21T06:54:46.660-08:00Homeward Bound at the LAX HiltonMorning broke early for us at the Hilton Playa del Carmen.<div><br></div><div>We rose at 3:00AM EST to be ready for CARM Transfer to take the four of us to CUN. Our driver arrived early and we were off by 3:50 on a pleasantly deserted highway.</div><div><br></div><div>We arrived at the airport by 4:45AM, said our good-byes to Tom and Ellyn, and entered Terminal 3 for our Alaska flight. Security was a breeze at this hour, and somewhat to our surprise there was no exit passport control.</div><div><br></div><div>We had been planning to avail ourselves of whatever delights the Priority Pass Lounge offered in the nearly four hours of time we had before the flight.</div><div><br></div><div>It took a couple of phone calls to confirm that, as of the end of January 2024, our AMEX Hilton Surpass credit card cancelled the 12 annual PP entries that we’ve occasionally used over the years. That’s annoying, and we’ll probably just cancel the card, especially after learning the annual fee is being raised from $95 to $150. </div><div><br></div><div>On the bright side, we were both upgraded by Alaska to First, albeit seated apart, and we found out on landing that we’ve been upgraded to First for tomorrow’s LAX-SEA flight too.</div><div><br></div><div>We’re relaxing in the LAX Hilton, and enjoying an expansive view of the runways. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9148_120e_46aa_e6f5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1joXgDBNLfvtOwKtWRYtIoi0OxxNGHg8X" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_60fc_6b16_b55f_532" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1jFxwpgxXg3WjLTHSgxwfJGTz4E2_R4ig" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>It was raining hard as we landed after a bumpy approach through the clouds this morning, but it looks a little brighter now. </div><div><br></div><div>We’ll try out hotel’s Italian eatery for dinner, figuring the $18 dining credit we each receive as one of Kathy’s Diamond benefits will bring the exorbitant menu costs down to a halfway reasonable price.</div><div><br></div><div>It’ll still be a shock after the “free” all-inclusive meals we’ve enjoyed for the past week.</div><div><br></div><div>Returning to reality is often a challenge.</div><div><br></div><div>And we find ourselves back in the LAX Alaska Lounge the following morning, enjoying TRIPLE SHOT Cappuccinos before boarding our flight to Seattle.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_539b_718f_5266_2f9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1gYmya4CJEJVckaKOPe79hKj7ZiEgxyLY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9c45_80cd_253_9049" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1tq6Ib9bZFk8QdLX8WHHA99o1B2YdUTmv" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-66167124901401867992024-02-18T14:53:00.001-08:002024-02-18T16:40:11.821-08:00At the Hilton Playa del Carmen: Just as Good the Second Time AroundWe enjoyed ourselves here in January 2022, and were happy (and relieved) to find it just as enjoyable with Tom and Ellyn in February 2024.<div><br></div><div>The rooms are more than adequate, the grounds are beautiful, the employees are exceptionally friendly, and the dining experiences in this all-inclusive resort range from good to excellent.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_585a_5401_8df3_25a3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1mRuosEYA1E8JVGvXNqluDqw9ddmosGpy" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_93ec_25c6_b6bf_b262" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1AuouihgDTeXZR9B-JsHHb8PRuK_PaMrr" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_cf45_c00d_1799_64ec" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1f0bFn0hWQKlu5WO2M7c1QmmLdSq-43Fk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We even managed to find one of our favorite 2022 waiters, Victor Herrera, still working at Asiana. Kathy recalled he and his wife had a baby who is now an active two-year old.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5978_8f18_cf44_763a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1nWGOCLBxNl21jEqaJ8Gap36sjiXK_X7-" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The food is still good, especially the sushi.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_636f_9e44_4ddd_d07d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1FxAb5YIZCgK466bNMJyYd-vC2L-mAk2_" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2c25_4c1b_9d60_9844" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1YCa9A9yltBSld7JZ-lk0fQTDPo1n-3_A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_62d1_8f25_faec_3191" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1gYSkDXVp94KF9rngTWfz3XLJSyz6TWtT" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div><br></div><div>Tempting desserts…</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_74d1_5fa9_9e5c_d2cf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1g1--FPDYU02uWW9Q6VBYc7RUbH3iyho6" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ee2a_e0e0_dbfd_f78" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Gu_W-dG7ZTSmownmWioSLlmjJiGPqh5E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We tried every restaurant, and found pleasing plates in all of them.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3b7a_446e_5930_6646" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1DA5TKK-5QAIVXboTfPNuhYjgo64r3ZVA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c715_c94c_75f6_1c93" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1n61TiVHahe-kCP6vqyOCCGHug1Yt3MPb" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a045_4b77_ecb8_b305" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1huwZqACqtMF7U0OqYJA3tofSxXVZXRNH" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b74a_3940_c7e_e9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1ZrSd8i2uOUe8GYSjKPMXsm_EpPNandXT" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>It’s a great place to spend a week eating and relaxing and eating some more. They even have a coffee bar that turns out excellent double-shot Cappuccinos.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6b6e_b7dd_c132_8dab" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1cL1e0PyT6aULxVq8HqvvFY4mTZU7Ilrn" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>One more day of paradise and we’ll be ready to face a gruesome 4:00AM pickup to the airport.<br><br><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-35532513483764440312024-02-13T06:44:00.001-08:002024-02-13T06:44:28.136-08:00Sunrise at LAX<img id="id_800_80a2_1493_4466" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1vUR5GlU4c74adxkkm1BA1G2WYQm2szze" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br> <div>Drinking triple shot Cappuccinos in the Alaska Lounge in Terminal 6 after a 6 AM shuttle…</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5e9b_6cca_a4ba_8a90" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1z7Vu-n77fof_lmFe6KeLtUTEo6PT088T" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ced1_3a70_9638_ff9c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/11uMoNVhZx9kRKsvqjSRI-c6FaUZSGAKn" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Upgraded to First for our flight to Cancun.</div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-66415225927622254722024-02-12T08:16:00.000-08:002024-02-12T08:24:02.008-08:00Trip Final Preparation: Look Before We Leave<p> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;">We're leaving later this morning for a stay at an all-inclusive Mexican resort, the <a href="https://hiltonbyplaya.com/playa-del-carmen/adults-only-all-inclusive-resort-deals?msclkid=304399d9e8e61af9afb8fc13d22ed1a5">Hilton Playa del Carmen</a>. The two of us stayed here in <a href="http://www.wanderingwarners.com/2022/01/hilton-playa-del-carmen.html">January 2022</a>, and this time Kathy's brother Tom and sister-in-law Ellyn will be joining us. <br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;">They don't leave
Colorado until tomorrow, but we're flying from Bellingham to Los Angeles today
and overnighting at LAX before catching a 8:18 AM flight to Cancun
Tuesday morning.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;">In other words,
it's a fairly simple trip, since we may cocoon at the resort for the
entire week. Still, we always try to do some research just before a trip.
What did we review for such an uncomplicated itinerary?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;">Like many if not
most travelers, we keep a travel checklist and review it before every
trip. We usually (occasionally?) have thought of everything, but every
so often we're surprised. We obsessively and compulsively check to make
sure we have passports, plastic cards, and cash. <br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;">Second, we look for any last-minute comments or reviews or complaints about the property on <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g150812-d530483-Reviews-Hilton_Playa_del_Carmen_an_All_Inclusive_Resort-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html">TripAdvisor</a> and <a href="https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilton-hilton-honors/1980214-hilton-playa-del-carmen-all-inclusive-resort-mex.html">FlyerTalk</a>.
We noticed
just this morning a recent TA reviewer complaining about arriving at the
hotel and unable to make dinner reservations because the restaurants
were full. Brian called the hotel on his cell phone's <a href="https://www.skype.com/en/">Skype app</a>, and confirmed three dinner reservations, including a late one for our arrival tomorrow.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;">We also check our own blog. We've stayed here recently enough that we
can remind ourselves of various details, large and small. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;">We also checked
in advance a new tax for visitors imposed (rather poorly) by Quintana
Roo, the Mexican state we are visiting. We learned that the $20 fee is not
an actual scam, and also that it has not so far been enforced. We now know that if
we're requested to pay it at the airport, we can pay it without
thinking we're being ripped off. <br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;">Finally, we're constantly checking our <a href="https://www.tripit.com/web">TripIt</a> itinerary and our airline's website (Alaska) to see if there are any flight changes, cancellations, or even (hopefully) upgrades.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: medium;">Phileas Fogg, the hero of one of Brian's favorite childhood books, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_Eighty_Days"><i>Around the World in Eighty Days</i></a>,
written in 1873 by the great Jules Verne, said in regard to his own
travel planning to circumnavigate the globe, "The unforeseen does not
exist." While we've understood for a long time the irony of that remark,
we still continue to make the effort to foresee what we can, leaving us time and energy to deal with the unforeseen as it arises. <br />
</span></p>
Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-7812244741079909542024-01-29T06:17:00.001-08:002024-01-29T06:17:14.080-08:00Canceling Quito<p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">We were all set to make our first trip to Ecuador with a flight to Quito January 24, returning <span dir="ltr">February 1. </span>Instead, we're at home in Washington State. What happened?</font></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Well, in case you missed it in the news, on January 8 Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a <a href="https://ec.usembassy.gov/security-alert-12-january-2024-nationwide-state-of-emergency-in-ecuador/" style="color: rgb(0, 151, 255);">nationwide state of emergency</a> for a period of 60 days. This followed an upsurge of violence apparently carried out by criminal gangs that have plagued the country. <br></font></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Ecuador "declared war" on gangs after a TV station was attacked and taken over while it was on the air. <br></font></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67930452" style="color: rgb(0, 151, 255);">According to the BBC</a>, "President Noboa said... that an 'internal armed conflict' now existed in the country and he was mobilising the armed forces to carry out 'military operations to neutralise' what he called 'transnational organised crime, terrorist organisations and belligerent non-state actors'."</font></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">What to do? We have noticed over the decades that news organizations can paint a picture of events that appears much more dire than the actuality. Ecuador has long been considered a slightly "sketchy" destination, and perhaps it would end up being a safer environment for tourists to deal with - curfews, and the police and the military in the streets and on full alert.</font></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">Oddly enough, the US State Department did not raise its <a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html" style="color: rgb(0, 151, 255);">Ecuador Travel Advisory</a> above Level Two (of four), "Exercise Increased Caution."Airlines, including our planned carrier American, were continuing to fly daily into Quito. What to do? In the end, we turned to TripAdvisor, and more specifically, the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294307-i2253-Ecuador.html" style="color: rgb(0, 151, 255);">Ecuador Travel Forum</a>, to read what a mix of locals, tour operators, and tourists were saying.</font></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">The comments of one tourist impressed us. He wrote that he was currently in Quito, that he felt reasonably safe, but that he advised anyone who wasn't already there to stay away for the time being. That made sense to us. We did cancel our trip, and managed not to lose a penny in the process. We probably would have been just fine - we're happy to see that the government is apparently getting the situation under control - but it seemed silly to voluntarily travel to a locale where things had the potential to go very sour.</font></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">We took our American Airlines flight credit and applied it to a slightly more expensive flight to Lima, Peru, in mid-April. We thoroughly enjoyed Peru on two previous visits, and we'll hope to see Ecuador another time. For now, we're looking forward to a February trip to Cancun, Mexico, and a stay at a Hilton resort in Playa del Carmen.</font></p> Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-68918942898267870112024-01-19T13:03:00.001-08:002024-01-20T11:39:24.914-08:00Fort Myers, Florida: Worth a VisitThis was a very laid-back trip. Our internal clocks are still trying to reset after our whirlwind trip to Cyprus.<br><div><br></div><div>We landed Sunday evening at RSW, the grandly named Southwest Florida International Airport, a modern county-owned facility. We caught an Uber for the 30-minute drive to our hotel.</div><div><br></div><div>The Banyan Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, was formerly an IHG Indigo,, Coincidentally, our most recent extended hotel stay was earlier in January at an IHG Indigo in Larnaca Cyprus.</div><div><br></div><div>It’s a pleasant property with a few quirks.We were assigned a large suite that was more than roomy. It lacked a bedside table on one side, so we improvised with the luggage rack covered by a jacket.</div><div><br></div><div>The bathroom included a huge walk-in shower, but the water pressure varied, every so often dropping to trickle-strength before recovering.</div><div><br></div><div>The Banyan is in the River District. The neighborhood includes a lot of restaurants and touristy shops. We spent a lot of time here reading menus. Food by our standards is reasonably priced and decent quality.we found nothing spectacular but nothing awful, although our Chinese lunch was mediocre after a promising start with some excellent hot and sour soup.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b7cd_40c5_983f_3454" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1rTCdJ_JxKviuaJ3HREsHdpCvF5BvlgbD" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div> Back home our neighbors were dealing with cold weather, a lot of snow, freezing rain, and dangerous roads. All we had here were overcast skies and generally only a few drops of rain, although we saw and heard some spectacular lightning and thunder one night, and it rained a couple of times, including our Friday departure for home.</div><div><br></div><div>Our main expedition was walking about a mile down McGregor Boulevard to the Ford-Edison Winter Estates, where the two famous innovators, after developing a friendship based on mutual admiration, built summer homes on some gorgeous waterfront property.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_744e_1cf7_d9e0_3b44" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Owc14AwTehkRSb-MsysIjwEe_tJmVFb5" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 362px; height: auto;"><br><br>We started with the museum and viewed Ford Model Ts and other antique cars.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b294_ac87_f3f1_5fdb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/19fkQYZl4AzXR4yUeQR8f9dFYyjTNR01d" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Below is a Model T owned by Thomas Edison.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><img id="id_3fd1_9bce_d874_a3d3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1uq7yq4Op8r6N-xzpVT5neLx09eNCy6x0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"></div><div><br></div><div>We also took a guided tour of the grounds, including a peek inside the houses.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_99f3_ab1e_9db4_f551" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1qOd3vMhKTs6kGm1poG-ZFa4BYKktShZV" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c74c_e631_bb6b_ed6d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1nzArldCMchOFPjk7qOh3STxztOjYq3cH" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;">We spotted an Edison gramophone. Beside it are some of the cylinders used before discs..</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3b8d_d15e_8097_70ce" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1XNTr1k2n1MOBbUbKJmjHlm927vivq1k6" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Here’s a statue of Henry Ford.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_2c89_d1e1_95e5_2434" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/11Qe00RNxpWePb2IQwjFxcYGXTVJMNbTW" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>And Thomas Edison in front of a Banyan tree.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_22c6_b957_f09d_abeb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1uYl7joNxmOBRwDm_Xk61z7fzcgQaDm_g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>At this point, we were frankly preoccupied after being notified by Alaska that our nonstop flight home Friday, RSW-SEA had been canceled.We spent a lot of time on the phone changing a three-day later rescheduling to that traveled the same day.</div><div><br></div><div>Alaska is in a mess right now, as a significant percentage of their Boeing 737s are MAX models. Alaska has been canceling flights only a couple of days in advance, leaving employees and customers scrambling. </div><div><br></div><div>What did we end up with?</div><div><br></div><div>We departed RSW around 1:00 PM on an American Airlines Airbus 321, flying to DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth). We were back in Row 27 and noticed it took us about 10 minutes to deplane.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_748a_8992_d64b_9b3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1NZ5gPA3e1sG2wT9JnCtqkWj48pFo7Jru" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We had to ride the Skylink train to the next terminal for our DFW-SEA flight on Alaska. We found a friendly little AA Admirals Club in Terminal E, although it was a 10-minute walk to reach it.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_bf7d_88f_df0_a725" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1QbAExoepO4x4eUGrPHTscN289BceTClb" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><br><div><img id="id_6f45_cbfd_f168_f361" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1M4bzqnrRhbvJfdZTmqaMJV5h7eLsh-qG" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We’d accepted Alaska’s invitation to volunteer for a bump, but it was sadly not to be. On this flight we were seated in the Premium section up front, but in middle seats one behind the other. We survived it.</div><div><br></div><div>We first thought we’d at least earn an extra few hundred miles for flying RSW-DFW-SEA. That totals 2,680 miles.</div><div><br></div><div>But wait! Flying RSW-SEA non-stop is 2,620 miles.</div><div><br></div><div>That’s right. That stop in Texas only added 60 lmioes to our total for the day.</div><div><br></div><div>Update: Alaska rebooked us in Y so we earned 2,670 EQMs just for the DFW-SEA leg. We’ll pick up another 1,020 EQMs when the AA RSW-DFW leg posts. That’s some consolation for our less-than-stellar flying day.</div><div><br></div><div>Tomorrow we’ll pick up 500 elite qualifying miles,?the minimum, for flying the 93 air miles from Seattle to Bellingham.</div><div><br></div><div>We’re canceling our trip to Quito, Ecuador, as a consequence of the government state of emergency.We’ll see if there are any other bargain destinations open in the next couple of weeks.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, it’s back to some challenging weather at home.</div><div><br></div><div>Update: Back where we belong (ha ha!) for our final SEA-BLI 23-minute flight of the trip…</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_24a7_792f_3457_4577" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1Tmk8x6LLcBxw-bgQj5ydo8gLGefFpc0D" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2b6_e2c6_92d8_1f31" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/d/1XNjgrKQbvAUGfPXFDn0BchEu5NmAt4lm" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><br><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-35697600636000302172024-01-14T13:23:00.001-08:002024-01-14T18:58:23.409-08:00Going to the Dogs? Florida Bound on a Three-Day WeekendWe flew to Seattle from Bellingham Saturday afternoon and stayed overnight at the Doubletree across International Boulevard from the airport.<div><br></div><div>We both slept well and calculate that after a week at home our internal clocks have moved back about seven hours from the Cyprus time zone, using the one-day-per-time-zone rule of thumb.</div><div><br></div><div>With three hours still to go ((Cyprus is 10 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time), the timing was perfect to fly from our currently frigid Pacific Northwest to Fort Myers, Florida, three hours ahead of us in the Eastern time zone.</div><div><br></div><div>It hadn’t dawned on us that this is a three-day weekend, Martin Luther King Jr. Day tomorrow, until we saw how busy the airport seemed this morning.</div><div><br></div><div>For example, here’s the view as we held off and let everyone else from our train crowd up the N Gates escalator first. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5441_fb1e_2fc3_ace7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQ0jwfXptHC2wiKbZBpe_cJzy4IswTmJOdnPkINoHfXPHjR3oqLhnCZkpblwAR0w2rrGwkYAkuFAucJZa6j3LTX-KejPA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The terminal itself was even busier than the photo below indicates, and we had to work to find seats in the Alaska Lounge.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f3d6_51ee_29f2_ebe2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQT0Db1R6qpSekrmMvmGkbk7y00voEWNi5wlt9RylW6coOqdJWpqN8Ts1knE85doXFbyB_dDjWOMoRQSIbP6wDALXCg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We were fortunate to be 1-2 on the upgrade list for this SEA-RSW flight of about 2600 miles, and even more fortunate when our upgrades cleared last night and we find ourselves seated in bulkhead Row 1 D-F in this Boeing non-MAX 737-900.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_869d_9beb_5add_5e6d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQTKkF7QeME5Is_6Ic_IsvTLXld0iX0Sq8XjrBeV9mh9TyOwlR14_95jlhWXGoFm3Igb6KOkHJxynAbbtaCwJ1ndIDJQQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We’d seen a number of “emotional support dogs”</div><div>around the terminal, so weren’t too surprised to see one board our flight.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_207d_2aa5_301e_df1d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRX8W15aEaUxQIDbsxrSxuZE5JM-w8EfzsnzhkQQPkXNVqHkMdtdYkHfn3ci15rsiUWPPXm4VmJJ0QTp7s7_TB8go4MZQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>He or she was followed by two under-seat canines carried by their presumably husband and wife owners (not that we should presume anything in these modern times).<br><br></div><div><img id="id_7a70_d120_a7a8_6b53" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTilXM0i2Lmuv0opkSdXi_g7NbA-yH5NgcOsjtNcv_pnGjeuYv67PUcFK__d3R01qNiBB7zUsFXS1HtprRVymCPXdu0yA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e1b8_d194_96c4_6435" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSwUvZ3ZUtxaAo_EP4AeJLZWhO_ES-jX9sRhg8qnqvjEh9G8cS_5El6Xpfy9aUotxcILlEx8tLx88KzbivhSwFpyQtyYA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The dogs are already breaking the rules, as they’re supposed to remain completely inside their carriers at all times. </div><div><br></div><div>It’s not for us to worry, as we enjoy our view of northern Wyoming.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_c80_a081_b6b2_a9e5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYS18Y3ea-F0ybXrweD6Kqe9Yk_P57UlFVq_Ota7rSlf5pNIHVuQokfdlwKn7IJsg6YKuxwc8aocIoa1vXc5hhadYPM1" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our meals are tasteless.</div><div><br></div><img id="id_2914_3123_8557_580b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYR1sRINBUJ1zABcH1YDZdj4Ji7zlDbA1DQh0GHZixjWsPrzv62XWpP-Tqk6l5ef9ToQ7kJaRvOcaK6O6vZBDJsylG2CRw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><div>The cheesecake, decorated with a Hawaiian orchid, makes up for it. Delicious!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7a40_f88b_91bc_af54" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSlxyyUsc3OVVHq1uw3cdSJ_FSy-s4K8ePkG3dqe7HnFJYtIk8nPbBlMnMqLag451zSqoglSS95q28_GL0oUyt3ti3pvA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The time is flying by, so to speak, and we’re scheduled to arrive in a little over three hours.</div><div><br></div><div>Once landed at RSW (Southwest Florida International Airport), we’ll try to make a quick decision between a supposedly preset zone taxi rate and Uber or Lyft for the half-hour ride into Fort Myers and the Banyan Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton.</div><div><br></div><div>We akways do our best to research research such details in advance, but this time without success. We’ll just have to improvise.</div><div><br></div><div>In the meantime, we enjoy the sunset just north of Wichita, Kansas, and a smooth flight with great service from our flight attendant.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5788_f68a_8a18_3cd0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQ7PatndbpCdG1Mr7RxqFeGFriq8OluT-JnAlsXXIJg5CG58tGUXo9Zoyo3kD4JceuL3elyEe_l3EHm-si-1iBlinmquw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>After we land, we check prices and can catch an Uber $5-6 cheaper than a cab. You can choose any arrival door, and within five minutes Sean is driving us to our hotel in a luxurious Honda Pilot.</div><div><br></div><div>It’s definitely a good start to our visit.</div><div><br><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-63739118521961504942024-01-11T05:10:00.001-08:002024-01-11T07:02:52.066-08:00The Trip Home, and an Airport Everyone Loves to Hate<p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Our return trip from Larnaca, Cyprus comprises one airport fewer than our outgoing trip: Larnaca to London Heathrow, overnight at Heathrow, and onward to Vancouver the following evening. It looks downright leisurely but still proves to offer a few challenges.</p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Boarding at LCA is mildly chaotic, with <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-gate-lice-line-early-133902558.html" moz-do-not-send="true" style="color: rgb(0, 151, 255);">gate lice</a> blocking the way. We do find a path eventually and squeeze into our seats in Row 5.<br></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Our British Airways flight LCA-LHR is on the same type of plane we'd flown outbound, an A321 with space between the seats (the pitch) of only 31 inches or less, making it impossible, for example, to cross one's legs. That's exactly the same in economy or in its European-style business class, which maintains the same pitch, and a total of six seats across the single-aisle plane, but blocks the middle seat.</p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Brian’s Screwdriver is short on orange juice, but the vodka makes up for it.</p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_9764_81ad_81e7_1acc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTNX9Gm0CXzrsVmVdWDNis7Tf2MnClH7H6GRrTfuJVOPF2_PC2yOk1kESQdkUYuC5nWTS0KyriBpZFclY_0gHr_WG3U1w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The meal (we both choose the chicken curry) is surprisingly tasty with some real bite in the sauce. </p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_739e_8c41_4b97_87f5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYR1HE8UpffGAUFF25_uI16HBE8bWw50kvLmkhzuR8wb16d2m8ejUjTwq4mmV2yLNmBlmv-qa2_nGcVJS9cZKpl56OM1Jg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>When Brian compliments the young flight attendant who served it, she laughs and replies, "Don't sound so surprised."</p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Kathy's flight, like her LHR-LCA outbound, is again marred by a young child seated behind her. Talk about an unpleasant coincidence! In between crying and complaining, and at one point slamming the window shade up and down loudly, the tyke’s little legs are long enough to kick the back of her seat from time to time throughout the flight. Fnally we land. Now it's time to navigate Heathrow, which some surveys recognize as among the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-airports-in-world-skytrax-rankings-doha-2022-6?op=1" moz-do-not-send="true" style="color: rgb(0, 151, 255);" id="id_a660_b451_d35d_b004">best airports</a>, while others list it among <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE59M0I6/" moz-do-not-send="true" style="color: rgb(0, 151, 255);">the worst</a>. Maybe it's a little bit of each. <br></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">We deplane (another word we love to hate) after a five-hour flight in Terminal 5 <span dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">at 10:30 PM</span></span>, already half past Midnight in Cyprus. Getting around Heathrow involves a lot of walking, trains, escalators, and elevators to reach our destination, the Terminal 4 Heathrow Hilton.</span></p><p style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">As travel writer Rick Steves <a href="https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/connecting-in-europes-hub-airports" moz-do-not-send="true" style="color: rgb(0, 151, 255);">notes</a>, "Heathrow Airport is one of the world's busiest airports. Think about it: 75 million passengers a year on 500,000 flights from 185 destinations riding 80 airlines, like some kind of global maypole dance." Steves also offers a good overview of the layout: <br></p><blockquote style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); margin: 1ex 0px 0px !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; padding-left: 0.5ex !important;"><p><i>Heathrow's terminals are numbered T-1 through T-5. Though T-1 is now closed for arrivals and departures, it still supports other terminals with baggage, and the newly renovated T-2 ("Queen's Terminal") will likely expand into the old T-1 digs eventually. Each terminal is served by different airlines and alliances; for example, T-5 is exclusively for British Air and Iberia Air flights, while T-2 serves mostly Star Alliance flights, such as United and Lufthansa. Screens posted throughout the airport identify which terminal each airline uses; this information should also be printed on your ticket or boarding pass.</i></p><p><i>You can walk between T-2 and T-3. From this central hub (called "Heathrow Central"), T-4 and T-5 split off in opposite directions (and are not walkable). The easiest way to travel between the T-2/T-3 cluster and either T-4 or T-5 is by Heathrow Express train (free to transfer between terminals, departs every 15–20 minutes). You can also take a shuttle bus (free, serves all terminals), or the Tube (requires a ticket, serves all terminals).</i></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">We walk and walk and eventually go through the automated immigration gates without a problem. We walk some more and travel down two sets of escalators, arriving just in time to miss the automated train that runs back and forth between here and Baggage Reclaim.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">We wait several minutes and take the train when it returns. We walk some more and print free tickets to ride the Heathrow Express from our terminal 5 arrival to Terminals 2-3.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_6733_f74e_a468_f6d3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTNPGuLPhJDYYrnGfT4ct-qUS7eZ52t6CZvBJwkuU__3FSlvPYgfoiKN-Xz06EqxdPt1ZmOdPnO1eZS1K1cBgkt0n12zg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">We wait some more and then ride a train to the first stop at Terminal 2-3. We then have a 20-minute wait for the next "tube" to Terminal 4. As we wait for that train - eight more minutes - we realize it’s now 75 minutes since we got off our flight. Just before the train arrives, the employee makes an almost incomprehensible (to us) announcement. We do hear that “this is the last train.” Lucky us. This train deposits us at Terminal 4 82 minutes after we had "deplaned" in Terminal 5. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_9344_a98_ff55_bcc9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQTes-Nq1hgHB6VJnv8gPkjibm_ycJhYkTkXh9Rh84btiL4kIbpYVY1UAhb_DP68ZWGrbrVy_TqTFcreNqAKaKX2zHGPg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Once there, the only way to get upstairs is via a bank of three elevators.We watch our fellow train riders crowd into a couple before maneuvering into one ourselves. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_670_f2be_72e0_b3de" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSkXlZHtqD7Am-otAryTqwYT50IC7VX0GApbwWAXcQuyKNXEMZ5wX7EM8ti1UhGSXWASxzv928uhGOFarp9VjOVTEtX" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">From there, it's one last long and chilly and sometimes dark walk down the covered walkway, quite tunnel-like, to reach the Hilton. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_6d0_697_6b35_f4be" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQXR-Ug46Mu0WaZ7y-xj105m1q0JE8_dknorulrfyz7c8dg-nVdP7OO14ZxspQYWW4_nLdpWp70JWOxtHhxMrM_EWtZ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">One hour and 45 minutes after "deplaning," we reach the desk, and stand in our final queue of the day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_7e9_50bb_46d0_30d3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQvhYcx_wsD_PRmsok97TX5HTNOH2dy8KZYYFwmwOIzf1UYUU1o_LRqNZRLNb_J4SiMIbJhobN18URq1_sPy0kfJ4Fu-A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">We manage a reasonable sleep until about </span><span dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span dir="ltr">10:00 AM</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, and manage a late checkout </span><span dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span dir="ltr">from 1 PM</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. This allows us time to make the 45-minute trip back to Terminal 3 to engage in some lounge visits prior to our departure. Terminal 3 has one of the best collections of OneWorld lounges of any airport, and we decide to utilize our OneWorld Emerald status to visit two of them prior to boarding our flight.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Our first stop is the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge, where we drink some Champagne (the Perrier is outstanding) and dine on Dan Dan Mien, Dim Sum, and sea bass.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_2bab_f450_cb42_1437" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTLOnMMhZTbRo5z1SM4llPAmL4RAVr0FdqqbN-D8RufIlnaMuu0o2CWGvOZ0_MTqpsl8LXftsJlmLnlUV6fyNUz-qGssw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_567a_67c2_ff17_d8bd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQjnybJM_rkt-lE5pbAyzWePimxR8cZKmDqSIxQE_RHqq0WmhUyqrxunebUIdgddjDAGolMe5pcV5e2IEMlJNBAyPb_" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5177_3e64_bcbe_c53c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTXHq7jHZ5YmC6boBJc5kcKMV8Sdt2GDMZzOf-3NZCsaFQPQe7C_6wEN7q4ruFBeNlZCcAgHcdSdY5WCKIY0aaolImz" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_74cd_e185_6512_cd1c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSEeuLHClRFrrBqV2tGNn5Rz8kdUqlPynTq7PRkugF-NNa3y-QONF2LDKuVC6d4HR57hDDCgn8m5mV_59qiSbAjaIoPMA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3fb6_fd79_2ff5_9840" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYS0o7l_btzrtJICpNQ3DXi3FlASEC6zvUa7fv3fdDS5z5lTT7BAU5nutOVM2rBcpaQNTxBjuMSMq4oHLAhetPWj29Aucw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">We walk next door to the Qantas First Lounge, drink some more wine, this time Aussie sparkling, and order their famous salt and pepper squid. Pretty good!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_c9c2_c2aa_6ade_f3bf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQxbgCdY1zlRXx-O1EPEESuqwNo7MW-pF48uj2OyUB6e9M7ftArZP3aiPhQgHpjXf_IrpYzcCy2tmPsQtN14AcLJoskfg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Their Beef and Pork Polpette is also tasty.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br><img id="id_582b_3f4e_1e0b_6cbe" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQlPOv4kWlHK5jf0HOR_KhuLrGBsxf5G-4dclhSnjRHXv1sZZJdHjZCNMjJd7Fcq2Hyjq9e1uaBqZCVr9YtxbvmLbWBww" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f57e_7dbe_1e9c_c89f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYS2NrvTVWgicNDLs7L-glxi5fUmD5ufT1YmG8w30H5ClM6Ka4F2x3OTZKiLYjOiitbGvu7RhnPWf7pQm0F4_23jsJ8XQg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">After all that fine dining and wine tasting, we board our BA A350, equipped with the new suites, including doors we don’t bother using, and enjoy the nine-hour flight back to Vancouver, even catching some sleep along the way.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font face="-apple-system"><span style="font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Brian is bemused enough by the passenger in the suite behind Kathy who, </span></font><span style="font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">an </span><font face="-apple-system"><span style="font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">hour before landing, stares non-stop at her monitor for close to half an hour to snap a photo of him. </span></font></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><img id="id_a2c2_b222_66c5_c90e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYR2_TpbmPUQ7yaIlGOMmamzI1Mx3R9hteo8KLT3ou1IhI_H5gal36_h6Rtv-akrhWCvu4u-1P2baez6z_XSviiZZVMm" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">He looks a little like </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_David" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 151, 255);">Larry David</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, and Brian wonders if it's a scene being filmed for </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb_Your_Enthusiasm" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; color: rgb(0, 151, 255);"><i>Curb Your Enthusiasm</i></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">. If you don’t know the show, “Episodes frequently center on Larry's ignorance of or disregard for well-established social conventions and expectations, and his insistence that others adhere to rules of which only he seems to be aware. This social ineptitude, combined with his inability to let even the most minor grievance or annoyance go unexpressed, often leads him into awkward social situations and draws the ire of his friends, family, and total strangers." Yeah, that’s about right.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">We notice that the roughly one-hour drive home from there back into the U.S. on a quiet <span dir="ltr"><span dir="ltr">Tuesday night</span></span> is significantly quicker than transferring between LHR terminals. That includes picking up our car at the <a href="https://www.parknfly.ca/location/vancouver-airport-parking/" style="color: rgb(0, 151, 255);">Vancouver Airport Park'N Fly</a>.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">We have a few tasks to catch up on before leaving in a couple of days for our short trip to Florida. <br></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system; font-size: 21px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><font face="Times New Roman, serif">It’s always nice to be back home for awhile.</font></p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-53896481485044217662024-01-08T07:34:00.001-08:002024-01-08T07:46:43.807-08:00Visiting the Aspire Lounge at LCA (Larnaca Cyprus)Our first taxi apparently had a “problem,” but the indefatigable George promptly sent a second one, and the friendly driver drove us to the airport as we chatted about Cyprus.<div><br></div><div><a href="https://georgetaxicyprus.com/">https://georgetaxicyprus.com/</a><br><div><br></div><div>It’s a modern facility and we were quickly through passport control and fast-track security with our mobile boarding passes.</div><div><br></div><div>The Aspire Lounge is the British Airways contract lounge at LCA, and quite pleasant, as well as being uncrowded when we arrived.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8f1_d0d3_fdff_da2e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRY_vIup7Elid5aL4dgDUVKQmrq6hNW9CmjehRUveUqunM7Cr91xl2uSHC2XkZxppQhXG9AbiHeUVSnFtTDu4DupjFBAg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_dd62_7c98_22f9_1a71" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSjfxoQNk9f55Zuse0Cx7h1DP1Ys_GSb7Px7f4BZqvF0C2CslI8VbvkLvq72tCPePBRUkQm5tqK31h51wrmi4sD5hO_mA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_819c_4a15_ba24_ed9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSLJRIquUXAxYjQhq2jGvxRBf_m4T6x_PgXDasY4Oi6QDKLIsD2mLR-wUz5xNkZX1YEWSKx3h1p-WpsBjGXH6JLo1TqHg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>There’s a covered outdoor deck that looked tempting but we decided to stay in.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_efb7_bf1a_bc89_63f2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYStyT1MrQ5ii73ZknNCinDoTHTE5i1V2_xYGSy_yZDID0TxdMxo_Kog28lGeowN6GqQd0teBPMcVRP9tAtwhSu426N55A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>There’s a decent selection of food and booze.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_a2df_4f78_6a94_555b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRElTWFIaVQ01G4o3O8yk344pqT3VQIAYEzZzYf-Dffx4sskGWXuzdLGKCxKdt97J3HP-T84Dm2-jHFh_8QOBYDEepy2Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>They feature Dolmades and other tasty-looking items.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f51a_7bac_cc7_4b2e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSWow60yLsCqe35t5FD0Kl2qL-w5dYYsC078O3ijQV4KO2SnEXoDDvCf7jZ6vmpncL1xk3DDTCxkMiFHDbWQr64h7zUTw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We’re nicely settled in for the next 90 minutes before boarding our flight on BA 663, LCA-LHR.<br><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-34956178371064913192024-01-08T01:25:00.001-08:002024-01-08T02:49:23.708-08:00Dining Our Way Through Larnaca Larnaca, Cyprus is a great place to be a tourist, and a fine place to possess a healthy appetite.<div><br></div><div>From the time George’s Taxi picked us at the airport to our final day, we’ve encountered friendly people, a beautiful Old Town with a touristy but still attractive beachfront promenade, and quality food and services priced reasonably.</div><div><br></div><div>The Hotel Indigo, an IHG property, was an excellent choice.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_c42e_de2f_1ded_3feb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTdcSsR3apvCZ2SLgOtm9BTfaEDzg78R_0CgHGecORWSPES2kNByf_F86qXd78rPYySkOqZmmXzIXUtdJB738U5gUQLIw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_abf_c440_7377_8d15" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYROIuJH08BdPH0kwfQsLxl9JK9S3_oAGT6GUrpKGT53CzAOv-CPTmGjYxEiNL5Jyi-Bfnm8dDlyyqnzkAOchleCFSha3A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1549_c400_8dc6_2bf3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRUbcvuYrFSEsD5NHBBkg-WJ5dQc_TekyqNIj0vI4rjlzIapEIvCiHJ9SAV4IkBl3IBgSI3pEvWAfqtYTxbV9cvl39cDQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5f10_c041_bca2_d161" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYS_KeGG9l8aO7DZ-h5W-Hzlv-FxCftrg6JTwf_wg0D8lBPB9mm8AMRt8-9yG1rZxL4lSDAFs1sX4hoMBhQOLFaLkOs-oA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The included breakfast was of high quality and we enthusiastically suspended our usual no-breakfast routine.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_65b_f31d_1a41_2dee" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYR8PwC-OYegyk6sGzRWXy9YGGIHE3pPMdXi636lb3yXQaZKmzdHKJesPI1oaRjb0V7D1APfwe3wmWixyKycMFYqAz9pzg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3c24_e61e_77da_cd2c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQAJO90XBBuzvVBkd6aBB_2V59yy79oBK-SiDNvVZhF16An2esCDQYLZZliar4I1R7D3qI4cSUMVHrZ36xU12BmrVYK" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e8a7_4870_25dd_4e76" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSEod_TEK_WEGZjWOnz1ayZ_oFADDN89DmJLk1JhtRxeL1CVZbIQTSlUK6Y2Zqzw3TZI-st0ee1TiOYNgW4yWMRLfvs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Most mornings we lingered long enough to enjoy a second Cappuccino,</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1b2_51b5_7751_9601" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYScKAwgQOpROaC9YOxHX1fDnzTIhQxYFTmsXYyA8GkJ3BK-9ptx6_3-onYp_uozMF0hzyeToXWMYSrNl1YwVGMgKWh5XA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Other than one intensive day of touring with Helena of Cyprus Taste Tours, we spent our time idly wandering around the neighborhood between our hotel and the beach.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_2d10_b0be_2e47_b56c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYR6iQiC8sv97Kfrzrbl7-68IuFidOeq0EgIgUyduEBVGEeBdGliKYg6yQQozQrz5Paa-V9L7_mpuFWnuVzS6lAQPWPucg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_acfb_e3b3_7dff_7afa" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYR-Yp_em1LT46lsUPjuZVe0t01knuwTm2GZcKu4OzYtTd91JBLCnBaR5vT8XliPRXDAYtLaCb8XjF3kGdIStE0A5UTw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7443_bb8a_1a1f_463" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRRoVhT5qQ_snrMUdqxylbxg34Re7bWAWZFvmX_5g9K-BODE6dx8NdqbvO_FGifZDD1BNEiGvVTUdLNWp3hK3vg8rXf" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We admired one of the local landmarks, the Church of St. Lazarus, by day and by night.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_b1f4_53e3_7148_45d8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSr2RMGTX2ywmMSOw6HIysdi1pR5Ly0Y--ucPRhKPfOPJXGSeQrHlVGe8uEm6_djvViudqQrYuJMJ-s5vjkOm2GdUUY1A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_31e6_d689_da16_9e57" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQTC8w8vss7s2hzPZsVvozJHfIMf1nUTF6_2SXsGUtNWd6EuXkunqfQm0am53mPHF89wZl6FFUUO-rgSwjSZTbF8yo-Dg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_13c1_5acd_e8b3_580a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTkFBos-6TaWpuYlYg4jS8nteOoHeCq8Fl9DKZZv1j1RdNHC6rnxHknVOsDX6KnHqzyukUDwvJnrgWER-akZCPuFpzA7g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We strolled along narrow little sidewalks, but didn’t have to worry. Having recently visited Athens, we can confirm the drivers here are thankfully much more sedate than their Greek cousins.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7ea9_c32b_8a93_295f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQED0hK4dqXG0Am-WIccGxj6WCjXJbJsAhoOGzUNbYZdtXvWrPah3ooEMzDHhxeZRIc_mmfgtj8hhbcgIlQmAIEKJ01Ig" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6efe_41e5_3451_c457" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTCIgmQs4AQv3lv-GAlKZSQ3qV0VmXwnOzwyfHDffJIdQOaMgKU4VakP0qYlblstiWoo2coQwPOf0XLiGdMn3cUXbrA6g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>It was fun to see the Christmas decorations still up, as Christmas on the Greek Othodox Calendar carries through the first week of January.</div><div><br></div><div>We utilized TripAdvisor (about which we have mixed feelings) to choose our restaurants and hit the jackpot every time. No doubt there are many other excellent eateries in Larnaca. The portions are large, or as one British tourist wrote with a mixture of scorn and envy, “American size.”</div><div><br></div><div>Take the Mediterranean Platter for two at Souvlaki.gr.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_e9c_156e_4759_f85f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRKs_Y08dZJCeJk6W5ZX-_KAGGt4xZZhpyA780yisKcbrHAFKoggYUYOPGt8tSuvUex8EgzI2LQ1E4aEZS0gSydq4e6" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6dba_7802_a945_2c6a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRRMnsgCkhqdbyjb8PcRDeioIeHwKYLEzUqKp-k9aelJa_nLy417en7dccS91oBNP7rlwMLjrJKIQcHG4Mh4c74eztoKw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Care for more meat?</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_877f_250e_e871_31d8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQANdB-941cJc3dznedWD2txOc00_befzeNL1qNEDkqKoIk2GQO3Fi457ovpK_vM6MLhqzC9fn7Q0X0NJh7L2RSnr6qDQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>With a “barrel” (a half carafe) of the house red, that meal set us back about USD $30.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_be01_3b5f_ac52_894" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYT7S-olyJ-yaBdPt6PxdwhvENea8qSM_CUu77r7W_p3F29BGFdkGauaCMGt2RUKEp0k0PjAOieTthkULl5a7pdsgSV5NQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Saturday night we dined in at the Indigo, which featured a singer and pianist.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_2867_30ae_f139_593c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYS0Ei8UvLce6gSZ5GkzUaLS0F0TJypxcme3QDK1o_rv9hvmZ1vjMnm5C1fiN2WhkKJjxNv_zYUbC9j9L06XTnAU4d4cog" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7bb1_439a_2c97_b6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTtEAbID1j5RBBZN_RyUQsDRRYBMnKp_Zy9fWxqkMUFgYEVeG4spM-zmZ3Sj5b0z4SmQE_7-c53FkKO72J4YXLWNHGaIQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>They were good, but the meal was scrumptious. We started with shared Carpaccio and mussels appetizers.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_674b_97a3_f9a0_7017" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTPFMhCzhlSJNYVImwErU8MdcA8hWyschutQGAB-J_iDiHhXB15ivivATiTdxMNl9hkUUHgLMZAdI1n_XWOHGclZ0oX" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_796_2621_4a20_1fc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTIjzDPfHDHabla13veCrrWX1yc1SnszjNmuSzXUId8xq8BWDTrgqG5aiXnDY9vHNftfgKGBx6ktyZIDl7UoyLcYZlapQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Tasty but a mistake in retrospect, because we hadn’t left enough room for Kathy’s Tomahawk Pork Chop and Brian’s Chicken Souvlaki.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d0be_559b_293_3ed5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYR_VniVLr52r8A9--0gqL3PCMMnzbah6SflWZ32N4-ZXyTdL-87KHcEhhPfnkeYON0ery7C0w8gqaWkb2-rIGTZQ9RRog" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c091_e8ee_e992_13e9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQCMeCQSZHeSHk3wMsFXfE4tPsMEGfp_Evxd7x9HY2cX1ZMZwmj8XAVsKBgmuQu1_C-yhD1ie4W_qaFIujc3fhT2JtZQg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We enjoyed some more singing before returning to our room sleep.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_a524_8a0_e444_6ff6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSb_YlJq2YQgFjQUw9gCgd4HbrrR1u46dPNn_J-_pu8ySk2Vd4pZMwmOot__mfWLOXZepLxd4_ei_T86YR4z77oEfS7" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Before we knew it, it was Sunday evening and our last night in Larnaca. Where to dine? We took a chance on Mystic, an Asian and Italian restaurant that only opened last August.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://mysticallday.com/">https://mysticallday.com/</a></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8bea_84a_2776_123f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTgT7EcFXDhphdf63M9BHQw_pDhAEkUNLjZhfdhzouqTPmaHAcaW47DHngM-oJSa1Qbflbnle1xoc877z6Znu52kPNp" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ce57_e0fb_ae75_7a5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSclupC5HYvTf2J0QHfgSMrcpK2-NSR3r-dLe8sctdEO1OSzihQ2d7g9I_Im4N4dzbKb3eTtEpaR4wxJH2p3WyORmrItw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our two favorite cuisines bundled into one: what could go wrong? In a word, nothing! It was outstanding. The owner himself served us, and it was quiet enough on our early visit to discuss mushrooms and wine and his relatives in the US.</div><div><br></div><div>We chose Duck Bao Buns and Spring Rolls as appetizers from the Asian menu.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_db38_122a_94d9_49c7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQchQudwfen6clt3IUcV4uumZNdHnLLtRqvgvCuGbhbCbRF_mUW8s0sso7AxPx3e_HE3VDxeoWbGJkMpbOrtrI5ycelzA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_538f_7ce_2dbc_e49e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRSjpocFzTLjqOhKzN3mvWnT8h-oi69l075hj67Fqsgy8g2XI84H3eO-fDpoe79ew9cECOT-ahCULJzmUyKSC_qzhNbgg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We then ventured into the separate Italian menu to choose Beef Rigatoni and Chicken Alfredo, which to Kathy’s pleasant surprise tasted more like her own Porcini Pasta.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_272a_dd44_a809_ef55" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQfEGkPhq0T5iNL8Y_XCBqtpakhzSbi8EsiToa1HVzn7rfJk38AasWwCGnlhxPqWnDqzVWKBuXwnzA1W6EyPQNKVZ6RHA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_127b_7145_f7fb_94dd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQJQ8TLevOr75ba_F3oOzm8qQ0r2JZRGM9ZYVSEVl3d6V2cgDaxFvJ-SShj-yLlGvPKpye_Xn_uu8DNU2AJEDAP4ZRM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We showed the owner pictures of our 2021 Colorado mushroom-foraging expedition with Tom and Ellyn.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.wanderingwarners.com/2021/08/mushroom-foraging-in-colorado-mountains.html">http://www.wanderingwarners.com/2021/08/mushroom-foraging-in-colorado-mountains.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>In return, he insisted on treating us to a dessert of which he’s </div><div>justifiably proud, ice cream surrounded by some chocolate and spun sugar (hummus-flavored cotton candy) that he imports from Lebanon!</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_abd1_f6b8_9e95_2b46" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQZVTawmzwxNwnblnD-8fC1NNGoYxZjI_p7LnF8O2vnMoYSK6mrQHS1dsqHG8FsGZGyrjjzkyROdQ_RbbR9nlRcQiKK6g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_245c_9b5_dba6_2308" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRoraEXX1bFAUHxsoOxFMxHnmTG0V6usrDDu-rc6PzmSeG25WIpkMkhaWpnveVoTFq0_xFnq1k3-1M42xvCWsMp9iTB8w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Isn’t that something? Yes, we ate it all, bringing back childhood memories of having a second stomach reserved for desserts.it was yet another great dining experience in Larnaca.</div><div><br></div><div>After a fitful sleep (we get jet lag even when we’re at home), we’re more or less ready to face a long day, a 4:00 PM taxi to LCA, a 7:35 PM departure on BA 663, and a five-hour flight to LHR, where we will stay at the Terminal 4 Hilton. </div><div>Our non-stop flight to YVR (Vancouver) doesn’t depart until 5:40 PM tomorrow, giving us an abundance of time to explore a couple of amazing lounges in Terminal 3.</div><div><br></div><div>While our outbound YVR-DFW-LHR-LCA totaled 8,530 miles, our LCA-LHR-YVR trip is a mere 6,750 miles.</div><div><br></div><div>The only catch will be whether or not we have the energy to visit those lounges and board our BA flight to YVR.</div><div><br><br></div><div><br><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-20176940688946736362024-01-06T04:29:00.001-08:002024-01-06T05:28:14.803-08:00A Delicious Day with Cyprus Taste ToursThere’s no better way to experience Cyprus than by dining and wine tasting our way through parts of the Troodos Mountains with Cyprus Taste Tours.<div><br></div><div><img id="id_1b71_eec8_3f62_f052" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRSOyb5XdENsayIiMdYsLTjANsPqxZi78BeXwDkQ45y3h8KuLLSeIG7PfLlQDnbjmgH1eo4KK280yAEOLET0J98tms33w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Helena, who told us when picking us up that a last-minute cancellation would result in a private tour for just the two of us.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3413_170a_57f1_4a94" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSxA_HwI3kmg46vw9hfls5-O3BXi_SnwQRLPfNFNYykte2VS-emG76ffME9pgAnPwB1O_m_loXVI3uz6pSYte5tgPLReA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Helena related a bit of her own life’s story as she drove us to our first destination of the day. Her family had to flee their home in northern Cyprus in August 1974 when Turkish elements annexed it. They became refugees in their own country and had to rebuild their lives.</div><div><br></div><div>They didn’t see that house again for decades, until the authorities allowed people in their situation to visit, and she gave a poignant account of being welcomed by the Turkish family who had been given their abandoned house.</div><div><br></div><div>She went on to graduate with a degree in tourism, and worked as a guide for a Texas-based private tour club that saw her visit more than 60 countries, including three trips to Australia in one month!</div><div><br></div><div>Covid forced that company into bankruptcy, and she has more recently been working with the newly established Cyprus Taste Tours, an outfit with which we are very impressed. Helena appears fortunate to have found Cyprus Taste Tours close to home, and the company is very fortunate to have secured the services of a Cypriot with such a vast background in tourism. It’s a good fit.</div><div><br></div><div>Helena picked us up at our hotel before 9 AM and dropped us after 6 PM, so we’ll summarize briefly what was a very full day - and one that left us with full stomachs.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f26f_69f0_e2a6_389b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTrA5LbyiUt32VQZd_5mEg89noBVA4cwr6k3CTQbxzNSr1T165nKHZKN7JCfRKZsbbL5IdcYmoOfqs6t5144jC9Bv74Pg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our first stop was a small dairy farm (sheep and goats) that produces the locally famous Halloumi cheese. We toured a fairly large Parmigiano Reggiano cheese making facility in Parma within the past couple of months, and it was fascinating to observe the similar steps in this one person operation, being carried out today by one of the farmers’ seven children.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8cad_44e_c4fe_c074" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSMFc0cfg8TCItGYkOXT33wV8E9_x3U8pnfrrmHCvIGVkZN93AJH5iCRV4DGNDDsC8c8_i7Jc97MppPK-U0ERZ6Uuk0TQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_dfab_87bf_c5ec_e5a9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSVqFZJgkiB_pbwFHSUJeNA_tGgTufXauYJZopuVNZBYxcVvr80mGkR2EDi6bbA0RoGRj-1WNWiZXAucs38mUPL9LTk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We were treated to cheese, along with their own cucumbers and tomatoes, before departing.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_bbc1_5027_1b8c_5477" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYS84FEQacT8yVUnfpEWcIf0OxwfbnW1Y-l3CZG0WoR6lNTXKOllmgmUFvQAc_8KD22l1ZWs9jEJ5YnxnSCcMAkJspUwtA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>A short drive allowed us to enjoy the scenery before our second stop of the day.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_55fc_cc25_4efd_38db" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRa8sZ8_KDOnPDFqK0mFfnPlGH-nNQLTg4DZp_2iLIhCAAlCWKqSsg4DvsgwKFJecNBVQYCzpmjntXC0D-3ugSdhw06FA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We arrived at Christoudia Winery, a fairly new operation that produces only 60,000 bottles annually.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.christoudia.com/">https://www.christoudia.com/</a></div><div><br></div><div>First, Helena took us on a brief tour of the facility.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ace8_1271_d8e2_4e0b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYR3LKb2FUylu3FParbPzzQrAe9n8_1A4cKWa1rjSKTxsiIIsVpNR2I_hmo9COckqlUfkDtgiV9N2o_cj-HJsp-3l3WMHg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b20d_76e2_96e0_9f3c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTTmqve3g34_7ykbkmCpnKjMeKK93xpyt7AgvGoZnuTxO2RAgqOmu8jCzxyQB40w9HfLGsQAluGEsS-SDQcz473o4C7kQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Then it was time for some serious tasting of three whites and three reds.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8144_fe5b_ff89_d666" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSaOpLuUBGkHQ2mGLXoJ2QiT9845UFppb4fag2KdJElsalQv_DuJODapNMCSNw7KXeFY0D60LWqF2Q7nGqeNLBVOmlMrw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_fa50_9d3b_a44_b225" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRW5L7mTUyWsWMklAi1BShVXlXeVPmsGOmP3a2E26WGEV2yT2m8gYydqUs-qx2u_5uiPcNhkoW02WaP_4BLN66cUcGeSg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e00b_11f4_1220_5cbc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQB9HxWbtj-VO0ZkoJoV3sle_eoExBx3oNRpPGMS07UNiwa9uwdAIkdLzfy2Omm_ll9PRCWT9DhcmnYFu36thqEt5br" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our verdict? Decent and reasonably priced wine, not surprising in a country that has a winemaking history stretching back 5,000 years.</div><div><br></div><div>It was interesting to learn that the grapes are grown in bushes here, unlike the vineyards in many other parts of the world.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_eeb4_50ea_3cbc_6786" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYReAfz66WoMaXaEqhNfz5lOqhDhPQcz2LsWvPlRt_Trswu5xsGn72M11xAYoCzPpVkKGboii7BDaS_P12bApY9LJ5Fw4Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>These bushes have already undergone their winter pruning.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_278f_4684_4c4c_a8e0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSpzsjhhn7foTZAe2IegbVV-VQqOGxOBw_FCEy5y8NHT6QLqr7aQP91m1kb72drNFq-_nSRYhDzyFO-8Ml8Yp7g6ZgJ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>As in France, no irrigation is allowed.</div><div><br></div><div>Washington State wineries often have resident dogs. This winery has a resident donkey, and we said hello to him before leaving.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_22cf_8aac_ab8f_a893" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQtpsIH4XyUQWWZ-cJU5yUB1KV-DLk3I10kTRIMsi6XRjcwKoAQG-xXlAokdYWpZ-imNOLrtEXKTs1yYMv9vHxb9BV2Ng" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our next stop was, dare we say, unique, a bee and embroidery museum run by a charming older couple.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_832_7d3b_db9f_c76f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSkSN0TwB2R4ln6ABr_-xWRod_1h_-kPfO3xBsZ2fUFJBHKEiM12ZxiiJivYh2ftiZf6wC_AfdOvFY-FVKoU_whT9Yx" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>They are apiarists who claim also to run a “Bee and B” - get it?</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_e0b2_8721_7899_5cf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYR-YKAyrCk4O39aId9_QudTapHla-T2fMg4O2O6nvdp2nFOSU9LPBZGSEg49CYA-_5_hrgrfrOPQDBdnJ_46r0UbuvyMw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_331e_39b5_35d6_2f7d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSqJ3MfC8BHggtPmUruLNsN23aZZaVvflkSu1zCkzC2cSbqEJDIq30X8WSkdM8X42Ve7R6Yuqim0w1eAVhNxP_ETvRNXw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>It was time for lunch, and we feasted on a variety of Cypriot specialties at Maria’s, high in the Troodos hills.</div><div><br></div><img id="id_dc39_7ca3_c010_dc46" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYS5TdHdxiUH1NvmHV7C8uFTfp03GIGwgTCK2ISXeBYnF0aE_AirrzsJltm0f9MndJVvRffZV2xT99dTCSm9_I805URowg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><div><br></div><div><img id="id_124a_8f95_5d92_8068" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSlPsebGOWJ72I7sWqeSddLvD8z5G6d4fkUvovO98agIWlWP7THXiRn2TVVHpGMxCv3-k_QlHbLeFCwsRNOEWoAmaKIyA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We tried everything from grilled to slow-cooked foods. Maria, whom we met, must have thought a full tour group of seven was arriving to dine.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_c574_df6b_cbf9_4d06" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTMQB9Ns-16Z6SwNGSCy1id49l_fxLfohmtv5v9dvgyHoOgbYYs4yX_XFZJ-lCQanJFyKdmvSdbc_qATbRKXh38ma4cuA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2e3d_6999_cdff_a56a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQe2Tl66nPHgyPipBVa8dPzKDDbVCBYzGDnIcG9yEIaSGNU1LPV7f7kZD_EkvDXJpSXPRPnu1e6HXQbEhuFFT-zEGO4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c2d3_acd8_d9f9_c8fb" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTXt_HaG4OXz0QMZsMSFNCv5WNar26Fr1ppDohEb5STzN3xK10-RfUaBxsqdl99Q7zVv4dh45ojCVwk7IQ9T5ApOUf3" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ca26_be6c_643b_a595" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQjFxZwIgjt0Z6bk_9-HIm-gmQ3s1KtsfHwi9swcw2ri1bdtu9k_wrN9hAzgCPfyEzJfx_NVDH6LvlunplMgY_N5q7BDQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>After that meal, we either had to walk or take a nap, and fortunately a stroll through Lefkara, a charming rural village, was next on our itinerary.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://lefkaravillage.com/">https://lefkaravillage.com/</a></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_da76_9e55_68ba_d6dc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRBlEXLi56LRRrsXU5SHWX7jaQpBu28jpHMgtQSZzwIrGm_zc5YPZ1s_mkFgXK3lBtvAYkakrEY0fToWbe34rg43W5TzA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4c6e_842b_a968_c774" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQcLP7R-cJBtkQcEdTHltyby5PegenhYNpZfs2xitIEZp2YzJsVxQDFiSkVuKNsh3cFNRbvefLhyIuBxy-EiimASuFkWQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We took an obligatory look at their famous embroidery. It showcases great skill and effort, even if it’s not our style.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_e32_92c4_87a8_569" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTsjQcphwsMUXRO99jm7SrYSWrHmKAhczdnZ2HOYOLM_EmjQoq4gkKMkef7Z-FAx5-A_6GJ6aeCOFeaZUH-6CG4Ftv4QA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We enjoyed the views while walking off lunch.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7d3b_a371_8779_5135" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRYHgdxfAOGngvPQUZYkYZY8DxQvPogYJh-1Q1EXjqhkDL7PSgTW9k1nkX3ghFWkLumBt7bpZDns0oQPT3pXR8PJK3tBQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e387_f627_345_3b38" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQ88w_6VwwiCgEK36CkobjHDPJMOVPeqNDBm2kEkHUvLTcfu6heW6QreXLljmNpeTxxAm1IXAFofZEKVTaS68czD97e" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2eb0_3e0e_5c7f_ea02" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQlyJrxCoy_vWQiRDNDnskugfWKV9Q3MIpXbBNqNF-QNAapxd88ToKdScFYekwwnnBKkUCiVlyZ1G3WNhB_EdWlEGzo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>It’s a charming spot.</div><div><br></div><div>You’d never guess the grand finale of our tour: a donkey farm! It wasn’t just any donkey farm, but Golden Donkeys Farm, the biggest donkey farm in Cyprus.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_6ad6_2fd0_eae5_4022" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTU_Pioi_o1XJGZm_K6dunuekzmma9NFF53uDhhCR7bYRIcZt9TRNKh1v3pkR3lbDuGwW6f7j8rQuCwWNh4hyU0EQHzuA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><a href="https://goldendonkeys.com/">https://goldendonkeys.com/</a></div><div><br></div><div>On the way in, we passed by one of the world’s oldest olive trees.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_c4d_a298_e2a0_2bc6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTE7Tl_wbsZEwtG1ecC7GWtFQEyeTkFKN0J8Lx9i6MhUWe70XNBb6AgPhV5nXpmajBi036G-ugA-i_TrEQAnjpVUK6hkw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Donkey milk is used to produce a variety of products from a Bailey’s-like liqueur to soaps and cosmetics. The liqueur wasn’t bad, but Brian’s use of “Hee-Haw” in place of “Cheers” probably marred the occasion.</div><div><br></div><div>To make up for it, we fed the donkeys carob pods (more about carob later) and bought a bar of donkey milk soap for each of our children.</div><div><br></div><div>Actually, Kathy and Helena fed them and Brian took the photos.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8c5c_3dc9_f600_4505" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSwUwde8oBJb0wuk8-0aK5ysaL0oFf6zIBvqekwOyWoS2b3cucF8-tvIBrnpNsKPT2OmevhhEtaPpiOJfYruE5VLL9e" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br></div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_fb2a_fe40_6060_b449" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRslLZ0ztqvzvuIoPE-sHY1CEZkrj4o_nE0dzFgURaq4Gkm_pwtpQYZ1ApdNbpdLcQABeYeXaudkOqAJmaaqVN8Z9aSnA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1969_d2d5_4212_f1d5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRc21M66Xcsb0gB4rV2As_tbQ9xUbGbV__NpERIfUjvhwFzPAdsoyLuYG9Suo8IQ7s3AtpXbsR1UoHXCoyZCk2zyk3K6Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_ad8b_5e3c_6a67_1d4f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQCJqrVT_LF8V6VS6aF37GqRqnFNf9zSKrggh0JAztmVQd9bj9w8tynw-2UHIk3aFrLz2sp8FZFZYq9W7Bc8DKOMwzj" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>From there it was about a 30-minute drive back to our hotel, and a fond farewell to Helena, who gave us in a few hours a great perspective of this marvelous little country of only a million people.</div><div><br></div><div>There will be no photos of dinner. We had already eaten more than enough for one day.</div><div><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-80931517042053399072024-01-06T00:09:00.001-08:002024-01-06T00:11:08.593-08:00Alaska Airlines ‘Event’ Captures Our Attention We awoke in Cyprus this morning to the news that an Alaska flight out of Portland had a deactivated (“plugged”) emergency exit in Row 26 blow out.<div><br></div><div>Fortunately, the 737-MAX 9 was able to return to PDX and make an emergency landing. All aboard are safe.</div><div><br></div><div>Seattle’s KOMO has the best initial local coverage.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://komonews.com/news/local/alaska-airlines-flight-1282-returns-to-pdx-after-a-depressurization-just-after-takeoff-boeing-737-max#">https://komonews.com/news/local/alaska-airlines-flight-1282-returns-to-pdx-after-a-depressurization-just-after-takeoff-boeing-737-max#</a></div><div><br></div><div>The UK Daily Mail headlines it:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12932631/Brand-new-Alaska-Airlines-Boeing-737-Max-suffers-mid-air-window-BLOW-causing-depressurization-ripped-childs-shirt-jet-returned-Portland-Airport-High-tech-jet-suffered-two-deadly-crashes.html">https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12932631/Brand-new-Alaska-Airlines-Boeing-737-Max-suffers-mid-air-window-BLOW-causing-depressurization-ripped-childs-shirt-jet-returned-Portland-Airport-High-tech-jet-suffered-two-deadly-crashes.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>The Alaska CEO has just announced that all 65 of their 737-9 planes will be temporarily grounded.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://news.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/operations/as-1282/">https://news.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/operations/as-1282/</a></div><div><br></div><div>We’re scheduled to fly one to RSW (Ft. Myers Fl) in a few days.</div><div><br></div><div>We’ll just to wait and see what develops.</div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-28272041076583033422024-01-04T01:23:00.001-08:002024-01-04T02:38:41.340-08:00Larnaca, CyprusWe did finally arrive after flying 8,530 miles, or about a third of the earth’s circumference.<div><br></div><div><img id="id_c088_b191_135d_3bbc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTGonyDKoW_np9x4eWSVk3R0GSfrpugVlSr_D1uNjXPH6LC8BeJlOqSNVM8ALeTo7KkkUzwwbxQg7WagJnT28G6TaKHsg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_3b25_f2d1_823b_1634" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTgVro7h6sBi0B5WyetCfP3EXPZcBfisilR5YEQ_d8lWHIzNaYD5wvDYow-fEy1BfEeiXkspPOTX5-_9AjlEJEVB-9t5w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Our IHG Hotel Indigo…</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5e1c_299_dfc5_1cef" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQ9p5EvX5krmFvcAGx-OZM9S1RiWZ1cbOs6higBkE_HJ_oelJE0iTaYAgJwXUjYpOyUNgajWV8mvb79DZ5S1ETApqsamA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>St. Lazarus Church…</div><div><br><img id="id_79a9_ac8b_bb2e_8852" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSU960kQK5aPGxJxgzNQ-Eg81KtEeK8gJfSH29-CmqL7WrNb7lQpD9RY-WW0wmMFs8ljmwq287KS65Is9eTerw4g2UE7A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7755_ff0_ada1_180c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSOx2IPAcPROUROnvd3Bnd9yegSElS2b_lYiLiFE-Qlw7p7FSz2eEJXuXd5U1ILWfxla84XV0087I3wm8miBHORvejY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>After a good breakfast in the hotel, we went for a short walk down to the beachfront.</div><div><br></div><div>People are friendly, our little hotel is terrific (especially after they turned on the air conditioning in our room), and we’re going to test it with a short afternoon nap.</div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-2093587538394034462024-01-03T23:00:00.000-08:002024-01-04T02:20:35.176-08:00Making Flying Tolerable: The Joys of Airline Lounge Lizardry<p><i> We experienced a technical problem yesterday while trying to publish an earlier version of this post. We’ve asked the creator of the publishing app we use for help, and in the meantime we’re trying another way from our Larnaca, Cyprus hotel room.</i></p><p><i style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;">Lounge Lizard: “A person who frequents bars or cocktail lounges…”</i></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Airport lounge access can ease the impact of lengthy flying itineraries. Our current trip provides a great example, a total of roughly 18 hours in the air on three flights, punctuated by connecting and changing terminals at two airports.</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">From the time we awoke about 3:30 AM in our Vancouver hotel to our eventual arrival at our hotel in Larnaca, Cyprus, well over 30 hours passed. Yet, as we sat in our third lounge of the trip in London Heathrow’s Terminal 5, we felt curiously refreshed.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Vancouver’s terminal for US-bound flights, includes pre-clearance by US immigration officers. It opens currently at 4:30 AM. We arrived a few minutes later.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><img id="id_7119_97ce_fa22_df21" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSjTrFHgA_Oz0t7O-OXqCzI0uLnykkzhkD7Jq9mMlfwUe_3M3sqDyYpecT_KcPlcACKq4yDEa_tnQ-lJrqtCHMdy-TpCw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></span><img id="id_5fd6_f355_aa15_2e44" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRH7gHUyuMl6x3KaH9M_D-JIQV1RKOwFDtB4G2KE30KWWktAKhEW4JgXXp1zY2eq0o7OSpl1Ww3RsSdHgAv3oj44Ffi" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">There are only two lounges in the “transborder” terminal, an Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and an independent Plaza Premium Lounge. The only way we got in to the latter was the fact that Kathy’s Hilton Amex Surpass credit card gives us 10 entries a year. Surprisingly, First Class on an international AA flight doesn’t give you access.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-weight: bold;"></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><img id="id_c9ba_d81e_fdbc_7f73" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRKqk9-8GpD0WpK7D4fgRYUbD_A2j4RnP_GEZ9nKOucJLaod60DVVhOJmrwZtzhwof3zftVbgqYvdzLU8EimrhnM0U3" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;"><br></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;">Thst lounge opens at 5 AM and the machine-made Cappuccino (with the addition of our usual shot of Espresso) was fantastic.</p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">At DFW we enjoyed an American Airlines Flagship Lounge, as noted in our previous post. We assembled a tasty buffet dinner, complemented by Champagne. This enabled us to skip dinner on our DFW-LHR flight and get some sleep shortly after takeoff.</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><img id="id_625d_1fe5_7c78_7d87" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSVatYITA3PKf0s_HUqp_oRm0zdDGgiGrCl6Bgb7XbknGUB4KaRe9RH2OsbGttXn9PwKxMMiCKkCVactwaOc__VcCMT" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_aa7f_9c5b_700b_15a4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRSE3MVjS4BCbZOK10JUPvITCApaWuIHMnUEsPOBb-4LYS0MJIyd6utrFaBWyb9PP7SH-4x1UoPd3VAV9_kLcfILgB_" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Brian did graciously accept the flight attendant’s offer of the tasty appetizer course.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><img id="id_e0c6_7f83_3b76_71c3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRsVUmYofQgK2Bk-cm9gZRkZl0N8vVEi4iAiO35YkltYuoWiH2HuISR09RQbH4_ATMugEo8tWxQbAkfixeFpICX3oiODg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_af4d_2669_603_8dab" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTgeafdKs4h_nHxDcpd4GN2lvKHTa_htWheFqlAhJ_3OBmM-16BynXH-VIkTAMAiqPpohdYDtMSNmSTta0tA4JGtU1f" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We also enjoyed the light fruit plate offered before landing, as opposed to the heavier American breakfast.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><img id="id_f7c_d4b_e3bc_704e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTHLiFgfVs7jZN_ybUKT70-CsL6Hw07chvceOnIFdtEWwXXHF_lqbSSbKuzXquloX6jJ9Ex20gfi5zZC5rwcy_PBYNpGQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">There was some sort of medical emergency on board our flight, and the flight attendants solicited assistance over the P.A. as we were flying over Goose Bay, Labrador, but we didn’t divert.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;"><br></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;">Upon landing at LHR, passengers were asked to remain seated while a couple of EMTs boarded, but we were soon allowed to deplane a couple of rows at a time into Terminal 3 and found our way to the bus transfer to T5 quickly. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;"><br></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;">As a consequence, we had more than four hours to rejuvenate in the BA Galleries First Lounge, thanks to our OneWorld Emerald status. </span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;"><br></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;">First, a Cappuccino ordered on our phones and served at our table thanks to technology and a convenient app.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><img id="id_fb25_9b37_c0cf_c970" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYT3o2KctqRfrxo6Oh6r6yZ09kLbE_XrODSYMwO-4tpzGk8vZ1gWGc9PaZDxaOu2uW1blWsRUOwgysk-6AWKDASSM3f6" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2d5c_d52a_43ab_ff88" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQz6cKtpSqLFhuQldwfZyOCrY6emHBYbw5_5OA7CCNNeCphHOBYIx6SYgvMz2U49okCRFLwV3kS-XfK0WkQsBLZETM_" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We followed this with luxurious showers, again reserved through the app.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><img id="id_d08a_12b1_c708_fc48" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTAfIrPDbJ1N1K2fUlscWvyqW6u9O0s2NHikobDrFkc2KVddoNEilX1Wf7EgeogtCQ0rl7ZqHy4VoEDyHjGxA-9yIih1Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><img id="id_1a84_9200_61c1_7daf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYS328lPEHkwjKkp4YCcATT4KakkV1x-uhqN66gca8DaS13AMdzkXyJlzmqXgH3sTDLPgvlfn0sIaun35AEWd6SDY6tAVw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-weight: bold;"></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;">Feeling thoroughly refreshed, despite being sleep deprived, we both partook of some breakfast.</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-weight: bold;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><img id="id_d266_6d25_df58_7642" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYThRbFcCkSP7CZP-xYykuhBR8kzL3fGY89lbdRUrM64vcyFUHy_wALqsZ_LmlaWqHaY69Eo2zBhsHkOkOMFSa51UUt-" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We then relaxed and enjoyed the view, watching the sun rise.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><img id="id_e212_da1e_7f19_958f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTR7Du75SOC_0iQ5teHc5KdedbKyHcW0Etu2kK9pP7hwQyrKLgbXxCLL2vX0ZYVAKBm7B9YGqP7ltL4pf0FvU36tzRiFw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Brian sampled the quite decent house pour of Palmer & Company Reserve Brut, while admiring the gigantic bottle of rosé on display.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-weight: bold;"></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 27px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 4px; min-height: 33.4px;"><img id="id_cf4f_6bc6_17a0_2574" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSFQ0plvTnTkMKsPwQutXU9UYw-ht44zs_JI8nEG4JiH5fHyV9EPtd8fCfW-dYuG69uZIXLmf-OTVXQsWIYVjDsSpKN5w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_795e_b85a_232f_dd6e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSBQgYbDtHhqWSxd1y_3Q7TznY6Oal6G2z6OAKQjDomkeOSl-uDB99oxQbse85hy5j4eGf3OWxQPzCIeaOxQuIus8Bo4A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_61c1_e0e2_fe_9028" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRukVr1GI667g6ZlFYJoD8JuZQj7f_zzA3itLCtKRIijYIPhaOMXOBdtkMKSshnVwc2J7tM2QO8m8WidmnJ8x9a7aVsRw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;">That’s at least one size bigger than the gigantic bottle (a Jeroboam?) son David contributed to our family Christmas celebration. A Methuselah perhaps?</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">There’s no question we faded a bit, and tried to rest on our five-hour LHR-LCA flight, but it was cramped on the A321, even with a blocked middle seat.</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><img id="id_464f_8a99_ba2b_5b68" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSk_ox64tXqBnG-sv1o6ciJhcsFrGLU753kXKIOfC4yA2Oh9elaWmPBTlavwNHflCzv5wd_ul_X9HEU4EydpDkHhjwfqw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1">We reserved the well-regarded George Taxi to meet us after we immigration at LCA and transport us to the IHG Hotel Indigo. A driver was waiting for us and drove us promptly to the hotel. A bed seldom looked so good.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><br></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><img id="id_9e46_7704_681c_d155" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTTaxoKsv4qcMrzGiS7BBySaixZlA6_lSEwSOTT8Xppw3kMYidgzExxdBo8RLygRIPXhc2JrW1l47oZqOg8lRtSyUtt" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">All in all, our access to airline lounges turned what would otherwise be </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">an 8,530-mile ordeal into a fairly pleasant experience, at least until the last couple of hours.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><font face="UICTFontTextStyleBody">You can often buy one-time access to a lounge in large airports. Check Lounge Buddy or similar websites and apps or, if you’re stuck at an airport for several hours, just ask the employees of the first lounge you see. In some circumstances it can be money well spent.</font></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-76507464038065442922024-01-02T12:47:00.001-08:002024-01-02T13:27:04.371-08:00The American Airlines Flagship Lounge at DFWYes, thanks to an early arrival at DFW’s Terminal C from an early-morning but thoroughly enjoyable AA flight from YVR, we quickly caught a Skylink automated train that circumnavigates the airport terminals A through E.<div><br></div><div><img id="id_c497_6f13_b728_4cf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSO113unHwoeQ3qkAsqcdhPx-1N_k-FMCn8lofwHLY_9h5bD6uak1mW57RgSldItlyioS7OT4yPFDJNIPU3mv4Hm4arTw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7f0f_4fe6_c05f_9545" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQaoyWFH7PQrW-Wnj7A6IPN5x9O2goIMDfwNSNcP_NjFQ7tuMehKmteLMhg0fH83AMxiRew2cOkLv8wn-3MhW6ffRLB" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>What an efficient and well-signed system it is. Almost before we knew it, we were being welcomed into the Flagship Lounge with a glass of sparkling wine.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d8b3_521b_3724_930f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRRpQ6dRpdLN0-t14XXNSBoOv-flKqXQBZVaeoYAtmFi50uMtVdzzjzLsjTiJnpTNs3DA4V31DKuXVympbS4llv1QFBng" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>We had time to partake of a quite decent buffet before heading off to board our DFW-LHR flight.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f733_8b01_cbeb_83d9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQePmHlRtTkWoN0fw9UmWl8ZKqS3XUNLOYDLosWtRB0z6FOAX8R_qxf6M3vJ-qcOJcrxeK9YlPKW1OmZGjIpZzimvvCTA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f3f0_db88_95f3_da8c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSq2EAzws6xLlj_QCkfYS1uYmArttJ3spDNmZ8tt07fKPqXluOfR-WFmsZl2VL6kxzU8b_bJcCvb8Mt532kbijAauGLBg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div><img id="id_6e3a_5302_9f5f_992e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSqa7lRwAloOwojchz8v1E4fLNaH-9wgDH6TxdI7e3MMS8F8gyj0ecbHwkc_8lRZEWuVHLWvkiMHAmUhdZT6ZHXZN-GbQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Brian enjoyed a couple House Chips. This is our second visit here within a few months, and we could get ourselves quite used to it. We didn’t even realize our DFW-LHR flight was Flagship service until a few days ago, a pleasant surprise.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7cd4_8bda_da8f_fa0c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQnVYlBKlJAxhMq0JTqdtEkQvgQwuXoKaJVeFSAQzci8zmiKHmD2UUOCkuJFTcVjOIiJ0BVNVa4SYqX3m7jEa8pcvsqwg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>Now it’s off to London.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_e9ad_4eac_dfa8_3449" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQbc7VEDXbw3WP2BaEaSGkU_BYL2MSkRyZtBEo0FAFAMMCWxIzUo0yX5upzJ3dEJTj4i2VuOInamkc6is7-t8MbsWqb" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c079_589f_114b_2bfa" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQaMRzi1l7D2M9yjGszF3n-BIX6F35Phsvsh82SVoCIcDIW7u6WqTGK3qxOp9ctcldjPomKIZixOC994XQIJYc96UMsvg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d55b_8a77_36f1_4d92" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQ7IkUGIA5XLRnxyB33SHp24eLn8x_aqLJrKTGE39T-EUHW2zN9ZGtCANvLtbpiwRa7dwatQ-g7QZlZoX8KH6XZ0mCo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><br><br><br></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-30529407415433700712024-01-01T20:13:00.001-08:002024-01-01T20:23:12.942-08:00First Trip of 2024Why are we spending part of New Year’s Day contemplating this view from our room at the Hampton Inn in Richmond, British Columbia?<div><br></div><div><img id="id_850e_d84c_dd1a_7a67" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYT2riU8CnqJ7DvuKnVGdqKRE4KBQblfhR5GNtwP1hjKV31tULm3TRjRNswsKJMVZ6BoD1AeenVeOFOVv-QLOzesDfUCPg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>It was only a few days ago that our house was filled with 15 people and 4 dogs, as we celebrated Christmas with our family.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_55b4_7bff_31b8_bcdc" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSV5EeyAxxPAR7iQ-kYFujauNR5cSvgE0ApUUOi5KcThjtYluv738SrWn8KIwqYHL7SjSCpqi6HJGK7jhgdjqiQ9Z8q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>It’s been mighty quiet for the past four days, as we readied ourselves for our upcoming trip to Cyprus, a country new to us that we noticed was available on British Airways out of YVR (Vancouver) on a bargain business class fare.</div><div><br></div><div>Cyprus is an island nation in the eastern Mediterranean with a current population of about a million people. It was inhabited at least as far back as the 10th millennium BC. Its strategic location has been exploited by major powers over the centuries, including Egypt, Rome, Greece, Turkey (now Türkiye), and Great Britain.</div><div><br></div><div>When Cyprus was granted independence from the British Empire in 1960, the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots could not get along, to put it mildly. In 1963 the Turkish Cypriots established their own country, violence ensued, and the UN has maintained a buffer zone for well over half a century.</div><div><br></div><div>Larnaca, our destination, is only about 219 air miles from Tel Aviv. It’s a popular tourist destination with a mild climate, and we expect to share the beaches and restaurants with throngs of British “holidaymakers,” as they refer to themselves, but perhaps not so many Russians or Israelis, given current events.</div><div><br></div><div>Our first flight tomorrow departs at 7:00 AM from Vancouver to Dallas-Fort Worth. We then have a 9-hour overnight flight to London. There we transfer to a 5-hour flight to Larnaca, where we’re staying for 5 nights before flying back to London.</div><div><br></div><div>We’ll spend the night in the pleasant Hilton located in Terminal 4 before flying non-stop to Vancouver. Our itinerary in airport code is YVR-DFW-LHR-LCA-LHR-YVR, a total of 15,280 miles before we add the class of service bonuses. That will be a healthy start to our 2024 Alaska accounts.</div><div><br></div><div>Since we hope to be eating a lot of Greek food (and maybe some Turkish) in awhile, it was a no-brainer while spending a night in one of the best locales for Asian food in all of North America, to make a 5-minute drive to Pho 37, a well regarded Vietnamese restaurant that’s housed in a strip mall in the Golden Village area full of restaurants and tearooms.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_3ad_4791_ff09_8548" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRjjDJSavqOhN1olFMHdOZwLKcck8SlnIeI1PbOXQwHeCnopIOATsqF5YIigAGPDGuE7wnKCi7g5cNE2kH1sBxGydhI8w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_977e_aebe_59c3_185b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYSolQvWji0aPXesHnemCJRV1l8ZBHoozmMU49XC97P0w5ANIXcL9klc0MK0IyYAkowsc0J6GJyTy8IKXpRI1hcbSZoYmg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5f7d_86ae_bf5d_6289" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRoYPOa0ZgtJcy7OF6PeHJldiXULuSSDj7Oj1E5i4gREDqHBhnNGB2PaXaZQNYrgXCe9QS4wc0sDbt5WrNxCWJnJmLaCg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>It’s bright and modern, staffed by friendly and helpful young servers, and filled with locals, including some very young diners.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_83a9_548b_e814_a5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYQdwk9CnuTZrfVrHhfDXyACqTKvrZJiQoMnQj19WoKInVfvxKDSBqYAqoY1dhJt4UKINdIeupusaRI_k4aUI386kwhe" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_951e_4ef6_af3c_bf5a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYRRjWuC3Jcaj34LTtIJgzwTa-6RxshAx5d6vM8qBks8osOzx7bVhPQO8pGJSJm54jBNECyqTm0GZtGgR9ajKJpn_144Hw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_a272_e2b6_4f7e_d281" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTnpRv80mSNVBf_oGqDcO6kgU1Wxp7yVU2W2AvDDG7WjWncL5b6cUZr7Z7r-3ikFmE7-YsgUpvcT8F_H37cvqgPZIRjmg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The food lived up to the hype, a tasty appetizer plate and a hearty Vietnamese sandwich.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f5d_58b2_9326_dd09" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYTYP-dzJa7mfo8emoXzEdaekbk2-3ok8Yhl_lMPPnYCbWE0H9lMyddz75LouBZ-Uz9Nu6POjyuPXEY1ndxGPB7LmMm5KA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_cc4b_43fa_69c3_5bd6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AEYmBYT4snSfsH7PqFN-e1zYXpu3DoU3hueH2qeHix9M4I_P1KMZe2ONQ6gM9rfeWoyOCmudqSkGjf3A2xeTbsWkbwwoRannzg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The hot tea was a perfect complement and our bill before tip was well under USD $30.</div><div><br></div><div>It’s early to bed and hopefully a few hours of sleep before dropping our car at the Park’NFly and shuttling to the airport to start our little adventure.<br><br></div><div>Happy New Year!</div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-89891782067651132102023-12-25T16:26:00.000-08:002023-12-25T16:36:56.611-08:00Reviewing Our Itineraries for Fun and Profit<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]--></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here’s how a simple
routine enables us to save on our travel budget.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Once we’ve made a hotel reservation at the lowest rate we can
find, Kathy returns to the hotel’s website (yes, we always book directly rather
than through third parties) several times before our departure to see if prices have dropped. <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">At this point in late-December 2023 we’ve already booked our hotels through May
2024 for upcoming stays in Cyprus, Florida, Ecuador, Mexico, Budapest,
Australia, some airport hotels, and several European cities for our March trip
with grandson Jace. Naturally, we've booked flights and rail travel in Europe as well.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes we find the rates have risen dramatically, making us feel wise for
having booked when we did. Sometimes they remain the same. Sometimes it’s as simple
as changing to a non-cancellable rate close enough to the stay that we don’t
feel we’re tempting fate. The best is when
they’ve dropped in price, occasionally dramatically. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Just yesterday, for example, we saved more than USD $400 by
spotting a much cheaper rate at the hotel in Larnaca, Cyprus, where we’re
staying for five nights in early January. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also saved a bit on a few individual nights at
other destinations. That was well worth the 30 minutes or so Kathy spent at her
computer!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We also check our booked airfares, train travel, and rental car
reservations. Alaska, like most other airlines, has eliminated change fees.
Long gone are the days of having to stay over Saturday night to snag an “excursion
fare.” Our Alaska status allows us to cancel flights outright and to receive
either a refund or a credit applied to our Alaska account’s “wallet.” It’s also
worth checking for changes in flight times (or even flight cancellations!). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve learned through experience that airlines
don’t always warn customers of changes or cancellations. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]--></span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another reason to book flights early is that you’re almost
guaranteed a schedule change. When the time change is “significant” according
to the airline’s own rules, this gives us the opportunity to change to any flight we
want within 24 hours of the original flight. We’ve often booked a cheaper
flight and managed to change to a more desirable one as a result.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, when we’re juggling a lot of different itineraries,
we sometimes find we’ve closed one off without booking every hotel or train or tour.
We try to add a reminder to our calendar for priorities, e.g. booking Eiffel Tower tickets as soon as they open for sale on the date we want, but it’s easy to miss and it’s useful for us to see
if there are any gaps to fill. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">In short, we’ve found it always worth our time to review our
trip itineraries, and learned to our delight that it can also be profitable. It's fun when it is. Occasionally, however, we've had to deal with some unintended consequences after making a change. This is one of those times.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">We had booked our March <a href="https://www.condor.com/us" target="_blank">Condor flights</a> to and from Europe with Jace on miles (we flyer geeks refer to them as "points" ). We noticed recently that the cash price for Condor's SEA-FRA Business Class had dropped to the point that it was cost-effective for the two of us to cancel our award flights and pay cash, while leaving Jace's flight on points. That would take us over the <a href="https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/membership-benefits?lid=nav:mileage-elite&int=AS_NAV_MP_EliteStatus_-prodID:MileagePlan" target="_blank">MVP Gold 100K</a> finish line for 2025. <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It's now possible to book Condor flights, an Alaska partner, on the Alaska website. We couldn't make this change ourselves and enlisted the assistance of an Alaska phone agent on our elite line. We'll call him Ernie. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ernie was friendly, competent, and couldn't have been more helpful. Unfortunately, he made a little mistake when booking the changes. On the outbound flight, he forgot to separate Jace's flight from ours when cancelling our outbound award flights and cancelled all three. Ernie was extremely apologetic over the fact that, while we now have two paid seats in Business, the best he could snag for Jace was a seat back in Premium Economy. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">As a consequence, Brian will trade seats with Jace and sit a little further back in the plane, while Kathy and Jace sit together in Business Class for the overnight flight from Seattle to Frankfurt. We're now checking daily to see if an award Business Class seat opens up. Ernie did manage to book the return flight successfully and we're all seated in Business Class. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Would we complain to Alaska? Of course not. Ernie was trying to help us, and he made a simple human error. He called us back to apologize. If we'd completely lost a seat on the plane for Jace, that would have been different. This isn't the end of the world. We're still all departing and arriving at the same time on the same plane. And if we get lucky, a Business Class award seat may open up between now and March.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>
Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1891818176039954311.post-13292974686686010752023-12-12T09:46:00.000-08:002023-12-12T11:16:01.990-08:00Oh, the Places We've Gone<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<div class="post-header">
</div>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i> “You're off to Great Places!<br />Today is your day!<br />Your mountain is waiting,<br />So... get on your way!”
<br /> ―
<span class="authorOrTitle">
Dr. Seuss,
</span>
<span id="quote_book_link_191139">
<a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2125304">Oh, the Places You'll Go!</a> </span></i></span></p><p><span id="quote_book_link_191139" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We've completed our travels for this year, so we'll revisit a post
we used to update annually, in which we documented for our own
amusement the number of countries we've visited. For example, here's what we wrote back in <a href="http://www.wanderingwarners.com/2017/12/how-many-countries-but-whos-counting.html" target="_blank">December 2017</a>.</span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">We once ran into a couple on a
cruise who were strangely proud of having visited 130 "countries" and
realized we never wanted to be "those people." It's more common (and a
more difficult question) to be asked about our favorite region,
country, or city. Still, people do ask us "How Many?" from time to time.</i></span></h3><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For sovereign countries we base our list on <a href="https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/states.htm" target="_blank">this website</a>, which lists <b>195</b> sovereign states in the world. As of December 2023, we've visited <b>81</b> of them:</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Antigua</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Argentina</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Australia</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Austria</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Bahamas</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Barbados</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Belgium</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Belize</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Brazil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cambodia</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Canada<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cape Verde<br />
Chile<br />
China<br />
Colombia<br />
Costa Rica<br />
Croatia<br />
Czech Republic<br />
Denmark</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Dominica<b> </b><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Dominican Republic<br />
Egypt<br />
Estonia</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Fiji<br />
Finland<br />
France<br />
Germany<br />
Greece<br />
Guatemala<br />
Holy See (Vatican City)<br />
Honduras<br />
Hungary<br />
Iceland<br />
India</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Indonesia (February 2023)</b><br />
Ireland<br />
Italy<br />
Jamaica<br />
Japan<br />
Korea (North) - DMZ tour only<br />
Korea (South)<br />
Lesotho<br />
Liechtenstein<br />
Luxembourg<br />
Malaysia<br />
Maldives<br />
Malta<br />
Mexico<br />
Monaco</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Montenegro (November 2023)</b><br />
Morocco<br />
Netherlands<br />
New Zealand<br />
Norway<br />
Panama</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Peru<br />
Poland<br />
Portugal</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Qatar<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>
Russia<br />
Saint Kitts and Nevis<br />
Saint Lucia<br />
Senegal (plane refueling at Dakar - did not formally enter)<br />
Singapore<br />
Slovakia<br />
Slovenia<br />
South Africa<br />
Spain</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sri Lanka (Ceylon)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>
Swaziland</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sweden<br />
Switzerland<br />
Taiwan<br />
Thailand<br />
Turkey</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">United Arab Emirates<br />
United Kingdom<br />
United States<br />
Uruguay<br />
Vietnam<br />
Zimbabwe </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Based on the <a href="https://travelerscenturyclub.org/countries-and-territories" target="_blank">Travelers' Century Club</a>, which currently lists a generous total of <b>330</b> countries <u>and territories</u>, we've visited a total of <b>109</b> as of December 2023. We got credit for two countries with Indonesia, because we landed at Jakarta on the island of Java, and flew onward to the island of Bali. Wanna count 'em all?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><span>Pacific Ocean</span></b><span> <b>(6/40)</b><br />
Australia</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Fiji Islands<br />
French Polynesia (Tahiti,Tuamotu, Austral, Gambier)<br />
Hawaiian Islands<br />
New Zealand<br />
Tasmania</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br />
<b>North America (4/6)</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Alaska<br />
Canada<br />
Mexico<br />
U.S. (continental)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br />
<b>Central America (5/7)</b><br />
Belize (British Honduras)<br />
Costa Rica<br />
Guatemala<br />
Honduras <br />
Panama<br />
<b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>South America (6/14)</b><br />
Argentina<br />
Brazil<br />
Chile<br />
Colombia</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Peru<br />
Uruguay<br />
<b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Caribbean (16/31)</b><br />
Antigua & Deps. (Barbuda, Redonda)<br />
Bahamas<br />
Barbados<br />
Cayman Islands</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Dominica (January 2023)</b><br />
Dominican Republic<br />
Jamaica<br />
Leeward Islands, French (St. Martin)<br />
Puerto Rico<br />
St. Barts<br />
St. Kitts<br />
St. Lucia<br />
St. Maarten (formerly Netherlands Antilles) <br />
Turks and Caicos Islands<br />
Virgin Islands, U.S. (St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas)<br />
Virgin Islands, British (Tortola, etc.)<br />
<b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Atlantic Ocean (6/14)</b><br />
Azores Islands<br />
<span style="background: white;">Bermuda</span><br />
Canary Islands<br />
Cape Verde Islands<br />
Iceland<br />
Madeira<br />
<b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Europe and Mediterranean (40/68)</b><br />
Austria<br />
Belgium<br />
Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Minorca)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Corsica<br />
Croatia<br />
Czech Republic<br />
Denmark<br />
England<br />
Estonia<br />
Finland<br />
France<br />
Germany</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Gibraltar<br />
Greece</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Greek Aegean Islands (Patmos)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Greek Ionian Islands (Corfu, etc.)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>
Hungary<br />
Ireland (Eire)<br />
Ireland, Northern (Ulster)<br />
Italy</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Liechtenstein </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Luxembourg<br />
Malta<br />
Monaco</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Montenegro (November 2023)</b><br />
Netherlands<br />
Norway<br />
Poland<br />
Portugal<br />
Russia<br />
Sicily</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Scotland<br />
Slovakia<br />
<span style="background: white;">Slovenia</span><br />
Spain<br />
Sweden<br />
Switzerland<br />
Turkey in Europe (Istanbul)<br />
Vatican City<br />
Wales</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Antarctica (0/7)</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">None</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br />
<b>Africa (7/55)</b><br />
Egypt in Africa<br />
<span style="background: white;">Lesotho </span><br />
Morocco<br />
Senegal (plane refueling at Dakar)<br />
South Africa<br />
Swaziland<br />
<span style="background: white;">Zimbabwe</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white;"> </span><span style="background: rgb(207, 226, 243);"> </span><br />
<b>Middle East (2/21)</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Qatar<b> </b><br />
United Arab Emirates<br />
<b> </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Indian Ocean (1/15)</b><br />
The Maldives </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Asia (16/52)</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Cambodia</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">China, People's Rep.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hong Kong</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">India</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Indonesia (Java) February 2023</b> <br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Japan</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Korea, North (DMZ tour only)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Korea, South</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali, Timor, Indonesia) February 2023<span> <br /></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Malaysia</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Singapore</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sri Lanka (Ceylon) </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white;">Taiwan</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Thailand</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Turkey in Asia</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Vietnam</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As
we've often written, who's counting? Well, we are, but only once a year
or less. The US and Canadian immigration officers who check
our passports as part of our <a href="https://ttp.dhs.gov/" target="_blank">Nexus and Global Entry</a> renewal interviews appear both impressed and amused by our list.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Our travels in 2023 (along with an IHG credit card and reciprocal status between United Airlines and Marriott Hotels) have enabled us to re-qualify for Alaska Airlines <a href="https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/membership-benefits?lid=mileageplan:mileage-plan-overview:membership-benefits" target="_blank">MVP Gold 100K</a> for 2024. We're also "Lifetime" Gold on United Airlines after flying a million miles on UA. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Our ongoing hotel status includes Hilton Diamond (approaching "lifetime" status), Marriott
Gold, and IHG Platinum, so we have the basic tools to travel in some
style.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Besides, we get jet lag even when we stay home, so why not travel?<br /></span></div>Kathy and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02940596079048730542noreply@blogger.com0