Time to travel again?
 

We booked the Grand Canyon for a few days (El Tovar) in May. Then Rome for several days (have been all over Italy, but never Rome, so a bucket-list checkoff) followed by a cruise home next November. Hopefully, we'll all be safe to travel wherever by then. :yes:

Good luck Glenn. I’m just hoping to get to Hawaii in February, maybe Switzerland to visit family in May and go on to Hi End Munich.

Tony - thank you. b-in-law lives in Maui and reports they are doing quite well at the moment and everything is open. Let's hope it stays that way.

Think we may be getting ready to turn the corner to safe travel. Fond memories. With grand-daughter in Le Jardin Du Luxembourg, June of 2015. She's now a freshman at GW.https://www.audioaficionado.org/atta...1&d=1606672679

The best laid plans of mice & men......................
Both of our trips were canceled (May & Nov) in the last two weeks by the companies we were booked with, for covid reasons. So, we've wait-listed for Venice(4days)/Florence(3)/Rome(6) at the end of Oct and, in the meantime, Ottawa tulip festival the 2nd week of May followed by Montreal & Quebec City.
Got our 1st vaccine shot on 1/19 and scheduled for the 2nd on 2/9. Probably head to FL for a couple of weeks towards the end of Feb when we are feeling 'safe'.

Two more fall trans-Atlantic cruises canceled. Next one booked to Bilbao for April '22.
In the meantime, we've managed Key West & Winter Park for a few weeks late winter/early spring. Also, a couple of days in Corning, NY to visit the Corning Museum of Glass and the Rockwell Museum. Stayed in the Lackawanna Station Hotel in Scranton, PA on the trip home, which is quite well done, though just reopening after covid.
Looking forward to a swing thru the Finger Lakes wine region in July, unless Canada opens and we can head up to Ottawa & Quebec City.
Do wish everyone would get vaccinated so we could end this scourge.

We had an Alaskan cruise and Israel trip cancelled because of Covid-19. We are all vaxed up, have the documentation in our passports, and are re-booked for our Israel trip in October of this year. We hope to cruise the Danube and spend a month in Sorento, Italy in 2022. I agree, get vaxed and let’s travel! We miss it!

I wouldn't show too much hope for Europe,they are glacially slow with their vaccination progress. Finally got my new bike, but it might not even be blighty come September.

I wish I had known you were in Scranton, Glenn. Glad to see Trax bar & grill in the Radisson is now reopened.

We would have been happy to have you join us. Next time.
Trax served some good fish & chips (a very generous portion - + Black & Tan on tap) and an excellent piece of salmon. Carmen's had not yet opened, post-Covid.
Here is the chandelier over the bar. A great building to explore.

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I’m doing a Vegas guys weekend in August. I know it’s not anything extravagant but my buddies and I typically do a trip every year to a different location so we’re all excited to get together again. Last year we all got together via happy hour zoom calls which was actually kind of fun.

Our only trip this year has been Big Bend NP in April.
Planning maybe Namibia - Africa next year.

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We managed to get to Hawaii (Big Island) for a couple of weeks in February and it was excellent, and felt very safe. We’re doing a few days at a spa in eastern Washington in a couple of weeks and then Hawaii again (Kauai) in October. I won’t even think about Europe until next year.

Thinking back on our trip to Peru 21 years ago!

Nanc and I did the 4 day hike from outside Cusco along the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu. We both carried full packs (plus my huge camera bag) the entire way.
Not sure I could do that today with full packs.
The last night, we left our campsite at 2:00am and hike with headlamps through the jungle just in time to arrive at Machu Pichu at dawn's light!

One of our most memorable trips!


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That’s a great trip. I did a similar trip, a bit longer, visiting Choquequirao, the sister site to Machu Pichu and other archeological sites on the trail to Aguas Calientes and Machu Pichu. Our trip was donkey-supported though, hiking with just day packs. Great fun. Now I try to
limit pack weight to 35 Lbs.

Another interesting site to visit in Peru is Pachacamac, which is pre-Incan (started around 200 A.D.) and only about 25 miles south of Lima. It is so large that is only partially excavated at this time. If memory serves, they told us when we visited in 2017 that it would be another 50 years before the site had been fully uncovered.

We finally got in another trip. This time to Quebec City. Canada was only fully opened on 25 October, so several restaurants were in the process of reopening. However, the Chateau Frontenac (our room was just above the right-most globe on the lamp-post) seemed to be doing well and both the Parmesan (decent food & an entertaining place to eat) & Paillard (excellent French pastries & coffee) were going strong. I recommend Paillard's Oranais Aux Abricot & millefeuille. :thumbsup: The funicular was running, which was good for our 74yr-old knees as it is many steps down (and then back up, of course) to that part of Vieux Quebec.

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Spent a couple of weeks in GA, time split between Savannah & Jekyll Island, both of which we enjoyed. Savannah for the waterfront area & food and Jekyll Island for the relaxing near solitude.
Just confirmed our trip to Spain (A Coruna, Bilbao & San Sebastian) & France (Biarritz, Bordeaux & Paris) this spring. We are feeling optimistic about actually getting to go this time (covid). Will see in a few weeks.

Wonderful pictures! I was just there myself. Keep the pictures coming. You will love Namibia, and I can't wait to see those pictures.

Time to travel again?
 

Glenn, Did you enjoy the lobby of the new JW Marriott? Did you get to the Prohibition Museum? You were 25 mins from us. Craig

Craig - yes, to the Marriott, but not the museum. They've done a great job with the old power plant, as the 'city' (mix of public & private funds) has done with the entire river front area and 'market district'. We used to stay in a B&B next to Forsyth Park (think "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil"). Thankfully, they were booked and we found the waterfront district much more enjoyable.

Did not realize you are so close. Thought you were up next to Beaufort. We are definitely planning a longer-term visit next year to both Savannah & Jekyll Island. We enjoyed much more than the 'crush' that is Naples & Marco Island this time of year.

We are in Bluffton.

Things are looking up for our trip to Bilbao and on up thru San Sebastian, Biarritz, Bordeaux & on to Paris next month. 'Bout time.

It's Mardi Gras today down here in the Big Sleazy. Any members come down for the debauchery?

Nice, I have fond memories of San Sebastian long ago. We will be on a different trajectory in that neighborhood next month, starting in Madrid, but heading west after we get to the coast of Asturias, then down through Portugal.

Madrid is one of our favorite cities with the excellent museums and the 'old town' area between the Fuente de Neptuno, Plaza Mayor & Plaza del Sol. Full of tapas bars & restaurants. Will you be walking/biking any of the Camino de Santiago while in Asturias? Have wanted to do so, but so many places to see and so little time.
We will be in Lisbon this trip, but only for a day before heading up to A Coruna and on to Bilbao. Am guessing a Douro river cruise is in our future.
Have a great trip. :thumbsup:

Gearing up to go to San Juan and Rio Grande . I look forward to hiking in El Yunque and swimming at Flamenco Beach !

We're making up for lost time (covid restrictions). Month in Spain & France followed by a few days in Ottawa for the Tulip Festival (quite the display of color) and then back to Spain & France in early fall. Am guessing winter will bring another trip to warmer climes, but not sure if we will do Jekyll Island or the French Riviera or somewhere else. Gas prices might help dictate our choice.

Got our 2nd booster shots early last week and catching a 10:35 flight in the morning on our way to Lisbon, Santiago de Compostela, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, then San Sebastian, Biarritz, Bordeaux & Paris. Back mid-May. Will celebrate my wife's b'day and our 31st anniversary this trip (always something to celebrate :thumbsup:).
Maybe my new Pass Labs will be ready to ship by then. Fingers crossed.

Bon voyage Glenn, sounds like a great trip.

Had a nice day in Ponta Degada and can say that Santiago de Compestela, both the church related parts and the 'old town' are so much larger and nicer than we had imagined that we look forward to a longer stay next time. One day is not enough.
In Bilbao. Dinner in Old Town tonight.
Tickets for the Guggenheim tomorrow.
Will post pic's once I figure out how to do so from my phone (or when we get home).

Made it home safely (Apr 12 - May 12). Had a great time and saw many new places.
We started off right with icy drinks on our way from FL.
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Most of the sidewalks in Ponta Delgada have a different tiled surface. We had an excellent lunch at a cafe on the central square. Was the only rain we suffered on the trip.
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With our tuk-tuk tour driver in Lisbon. We took a tour of the Alfama district and spent a pleasant afternoon enjoying lunch with a couple we met from England. Needless to say, we sampled several port wines over the 3hr+.
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Santiago de Compostela as a city was much, much more than we had anticipated. We will be returning to spend several more days as there is so much we missed. We will either walk or bicycle part of the Camino de Santiago to earn our certificate (no one wants to spend more time then necessary in purgatory :D).
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The Guggenheim was excellent and Bilbao is another outstanding place to visit.
We enjoyed so much we canceled our time schedule in San Sebastian and stayed in Bilbao.
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We enjoyed Biarritz and had a balcony overlooking the ocean, but one really needs to rent a car to get down to the ocean. While we enjoyed, we likely won't return. Needless to say (check out the name of the cafe - Le Comptoir du Foie Gras), we enjoyed some excellent pâté.
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Spent a day in St-Emilion and had a wonderful lunch (again, almost 3hr). With so many good wines available almost anywhere in France and most waiters being professionals, we generally ask our waiter to select the wine. We've yet to be disappointed. The wine maker of the wine my wife had was having lunch with the owner at a neighboring table. This pic is looking down into the central town square. We ate at the Lard et Bouchon, which is located in a cave cut into the side of one of the hills the town is built on.
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Moules Frites in Bordeaux. Enjoyed our walk along the waterfront. Every cafe/bistro seems to have hamburgers these days. I had to try one and it was excellent. Not much different from a good gourmet burger here. Again, excellent wines (but twice the $$ as excellent wines in Portugal/Spain).
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TGV from Bordeaux to Paris. We took the slow one (3hr9min at 180mph). Got there in time to check-in and have a late breakfast. Terrific carafe of Brouilly red, which we were not familiar with and suggested by our waiter.
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We enjoy visiting the smaller churches to view the windows like these in the St-Severin. The brilliant colors of these ancient windows on a sunny day are amazing. We enjoyed excellent omelettes at a cafe just outside the entrance. The Jardin Luxembourg was in full bloom and we enjoyed a 1/2 day cooking class that included shopping at an open-air market prior to cooking our meal.
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Glenn… very nice, thanks for sharing!

Great pics and it looks like you had fun. Thank you!

Thanks Glenn, looks like a wonderful trip.

Thank you, all. We really had a great trip after being mostly shut-in by covid for about two years.
Catalonia at the end of September and Nice next winter.

Glenn,
Sorry I missed this - we had a terrific trip, and also found Santiago de Compostela amazing, especially being there during Holy Week. We didn't walk the Camino, but did enjoy Aviles, where the founder of America's oldest city was born. Glad you had a great trip as well.

Could not agree more about Santiago de Compostela. We are 'puzzling out' our time next year and how to split it between northern Spain & southern France. The north coast of Spain does not get nearly the credit it deserves for the many wonderful places to visit.

My wife just got back from Maui and all I got was this lousy t-shirt. She said Mick's place makes a good steak (that made me feel better :no:). She and our daughter had a good time. :thumbsup: Flying there & back was a mess. Time to cue-up some Fleetwood Mac.

Just back from 15 days in France & Spain. May be too soon to travel as I have COVID (am on the mend - but not happy). We spent several days in Barcelona (a great city with so much to see) before heading to Sète, Toulon & Ajaccio in France, then Palma de Majorca, Ibiza, Cartagena & Valencia in Spain. A bit of 'whirlwind tour' with my sister, niece & nephew, but it gave them a quick overview for their future trips. For me, tops were Toulon, Ajaccio & Valencia, though the Roman Theatre in Cartagena was very interesting. Especially as it was only recently discovered (1988) and excavated. As always, the food & wine were terrific. The highlights for me were the wonderful oysters in the front of the market in Sète and the local rosé in Corsica. And, cava everywhere in Spain. Again, the rosé cava in Ibiza was delicious. Will add a few pic's once I feel better.