Oh the fun we had!

Well, it really wasn't that much fun when my husband, Wayne, and I disembarked in Belfast, Northern Ireland from an Isle of Man ferry at 1:00 in the morning.  We found ourselves standing in the rain with no transportation to the hotel.  You see, taxi service in Belfast doesn't work quite like taxi service in the United States. Taxis don't hang around and wait for you to hail them.  They must be called and an appointment made for pickup.  We had no way of phoning for service. Our only hope was a miracle. A miracle came in the form of a quiet young lady standing beside us who inquired if we would like to share the taxi she had booked earlier.  Would we ever!  Fifteen minutes later we were checking into the Malmaison Hotel. Saved by an angel!

The rest of the trip to Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, however. was great fun and worry free.  Last year when traveling around the Republic of Ireland by car, we had only a brief, tantalizing taste of the northern reaches of the island and vowed to return for further exploration.  This September, our travels took us to Belfast, then the Isle of Man, back to Belfast, and finally on a driving tour of Northern Ireland, ending up back in Belfast for the flight home.

Since we were in Belfast on three different occasions, let me say a little about the capital of Northern Ireland. Because Belfast has a troubled history, I did not know what to expect.  The Peace Accord which brought a cessation of fighting was signed in 1998, only 21 years ago.  We were reminded of the "Troubles" on a bus tour of the city as the narrator pointed out evidence of the sectarian conflicts of the late 20th century.  I vowed to learn more about Belfast's history. (I'm currently reading Say Nothing, highly recommended.) But we did not find a city of glum residents.  On the contrary, everyone we met was friendly, inquiring where we came from, and welcoming us to their city.  (At least, I think that's what they were saying.  The Northern Ireland English dialect is challenging to pick up!)   

Our next stop was the Isle of Man, an island between Ireland and Scotland which is a self-governing British Crown dependency.  We spent the first night in the capital city of Douglas where we learned about the disc parking system. 

You see, on a small island, parking space is at a premium. You carry a disc in your car and dial it to the time you arrived so that a parking inspector knows if you have exceeded the two-hour parking limit.  Fortunately, a friendly inspector told us how to beat the system in order to park overnight by our hotel.

I love the leisurely pace of island life.  We stayed in an Air bnb apartment in the small coastal town of Port St. Mary. 

For three days, we pretended we were locals, shopping for groceries at the Co-op, having breakfast in a small, three-table bakery, and washing clothes at the laundromat.  We also found time for tourist activities such as riding a steam train,

visiting a reconstructed crofter village (they had two resident Manx cats and several many horned Loghtan sheep), and sitting by the ocean and watching a colony of seals at the Sound.

Our next adventure was a drive on the Coastal Causeway Route of Northern Ireland. I can still see and hear the waves crashing on the shore.  At a stop at a roadside park for coffee, we were welcomed by a group of locals and offered free cake to go with our coffee. One gentleman, a restaurant owner, gave us his card and offered us a free meal of fish and chips. Portstewart, an attractive seaside town, was our stop for the night.  Numerous shops had tempting displays of  heaped up ice cream.  Strollers on the promenade ate ice cream cones, even though the weather was nippy. 

A drive through many small towns, reminiscent of England, took us to a peninsula to the east of Belfast.  We stopped at a tourist information office to ask about accommodation for the night.  The very helpful personnel showed us many hotel possibilities.  When I saw a picture of the five-star Culloden Hotel and Spa, which reminded me of Downtown Abbey, I was hooked.  After all, these were our last few days in Northern Ireland. 

Culloden Hotel and Spa

The Culloden Hotel was the height of elegance. We checked in and passed through the drawing room on the way to our junior suite with a view of the garden and the lake.  The carpets were thick, the bed was king-sized with enormous pillows, and the chocolates delivered to our room each night were needless to say, scrumptious. The next day, we returned to the tourist information office to thank the personnel.  One lady said with a smile, "How did you enjoy roughing it last night?"

On this trip, we had several revelations concerning electronic devices.  First we discovered that our Kindle readers were useless because the cord we had been using to power them up was damaged.  I was especially affected, as the Kindle is my security blanket.  But I discovered the joy of reading local newspapers and tourist literature in hotel rooms.  We had also vowed not to use our iPhones except when we could find Wi-Fi.  And we succeeded!  We found that we were more engaged with our new environment because we weren't constantly reminded of home. 

Friendly people, green landscapes with a rich shade of green that you have to see to believe (after all, this is the Emerald Isle),

and too much to see and do in one visit.  You can understand why I say, "Oh, the fun we had."

Thoughts on keeping entertained while traveling

Why should we even have to discuss how to keep entertained while traveling?  Shouldn't we hope that travel itself will be so new, so full of unique experiences, so soul sating that it provides the entertainment we are seeking? Unfortunately, that hope is only partially met on any trip.I have ever taken.  Long hours stuffed into the economy seat of an overseas flight, interminable layovers in airports, boring ground transportation, stuffy hotel room without the promised ocean view, long wait lines for celebrated restaurants, need I go on?  Sorry if I discouraged you from planning your next trip!  Maybe we can salvage it by exploring how to stay entertained while traveling.

You may be of an age to remember when the decision of how many and which books to pack for an upcoming trip was as crucial as deciding how many pairs of shoes to take.  (I remember once packing a library book which I promptly left behind in the bedroom of a Spanish parador and had to pay $30.00 to our local library upon return.)  As much as I still enjoy reading a physical book, I'm glad those days are behind us.  

Nowadays, a Kindle reader and an iPhone are my go to sources of quick entertainment.  Waiting somewhere in an office?  Check e-mail.  A friend late for lunch date?  Click on Facebook.  Bored at your local coffee shop?  See what Flipboard has to offer.  Ready to sit and rest for a minute?  Get one more language lesson done on Duolingo.  

Our first concern is to make sure electronic devices will still function at our travel destination.  Kindle solved that problem by making the ability to download books internationally available.  However the same type of books I read at home are not the ones I want to read on the road.  No heavy Linguistics titles, emotional war stories, or self-help books for me abroad!  I choose books for pure entertainment value.  Downloading a few easy reading books before leaving gives me a feeling of security that I can bury myself in a book under almost any circumstances.   

The cell phone, however, is another matter.  I wish I were technologically "woke" enough to employ adventurous solutions like buying and installing a SIM card when arriving in a foreign country.  That not being the case, I succumb to the expensive solution of purchasing an international phone plan from my cell phone provider.  Choosing a plan is anxiety producing enough to begin with, not to mention trying to understand just how much data is required to send a picture of the Irish countryside to a friend in the US.  

And I have a cautionary tales about using international cell phone plans.  "Just use WiFi " is the common advice given.   But finding reliable and secure WiFi at the moment you need it is not always the case.  Example:  My husband and I were staying in the small Swiss town of Chur. Free WiFi was one of the perks of the hotel. What we didn't realize was that the signal was erratic, so we used up our cell service data allotment very quickly and found ourselves owing hundreds of dollars two days into a fifteen day trip. Now we are plotting strategies for cell phone use for our next trip.  

But something is very wrong with spending one's time trying to make an electronic device work on a trip.  Shouldn't we be reading about and discussing the places we will visit, doing a bit of language study, and figuring out how to pack for two weeks in one carry on luggage?

Which leads me to my final point.  How about concentrating on our surroundings, wherever our trip takes us?  How about having a conversation, however brief, with a native of the country?  How about chatting with travel companions about what we are seeing and doing?  And even reading the headlines of  a local newspaper may provide not only entertainment but a new perspective.  

Would making a pact with travel companions to go cold turkey from electronic devices be the solution?  (Pretty drastic, huh?)  We might find ourselves enjoying the travel experience even more when it is filtered through our own eyes, ears, taste buds and noses rather than our beloved electronics.  

  

Traveler's Remorse - Have you experienced it?

One of the first questions I hear from friends and family when I arrive home from vacation is, "How was your trip?"  "Great!" I respond automatically.  (They probably don't want details anyway.)

But does "great " describe how I truly feel about the trip?   An insidious emotion that I mentally label as "traveler's remorse" begins to set in even before my suitcase is unpacked. This type of remorse is similar to "buyer's remorse," the feeling that overcomes a person after purchasing an overly expensive item.  What was I thinking, for heaven's sake?

I no longer travel with a steamer trunk the size of the one above, but my unopened suitcase in the bedroom still mocks me after a trip. I know it contains lots and lots of dirty clothes.  Even if the clothes have not been worn on the trip, I feel the need to wash everything. Washing and ironing  several loads of clothes is what I will be doing for several days.  How can I dream about the terraced hills of Tuscany in the laundry room?  Why did I pack so many clothes anyway?  Fewer would have worked just fine.

The trip has interrupted our household routine.  Two weeks worth of mail and newspapers are piled up on the kitchen counter.  First I sort through the mail, searching for any piece that requires immediate attention to ward off disaster, such as an unpaid electric bill. Catalogs go in one stack, advertisements into the trash can, and items to look at later in still another stack.  Old newspapers require decisions as well.  Shall I run through the yellowed papers quickly and glance at the headlines?  I decide to do just that and also carefully save and fold the daily crossword puzzles, which should keep me entertained through the back at home slump.

Although we leave our numerous pets and plants in very good care, I still feel the need to apologize to the flora and fauna of our household for running off and enjoying myself when they are accustomed to my daily solicitous care.  Several neighborhood cats now jump into our yard to bully our cats at the food bowl.  Our inside cat, Bitsy, haughtily refuses to come out of hiding and snubs us for several days after we return. 

Just as we begin to feel comfortable with home life again, the dreaded monthly credit card bill arrives.  What?  That fancy restaurant where I didn't even like the food charged us that much?  Why didn't someone consider the unfavorable exchange rate?  What are these unidentifiable charges?  Neither my husband or I will own up to them.  We pay the charges reluctantly.  As I write an unaccustomedly large check, I question how much fun I really did have on the trip. My Traveler's Remorse is now complete.

Thankfully though wallowing in Traveler's Remorse is a temporary condition.  It begins to lose strength as we view pictures of our trip and relive happy trip highlights.  I trust that every vestige of Traveler's Remorse will be forgotten as soon we begin planning our next great travel adventure. 

Dos and Don'ts for Attending MLB Spring Training

GOOOOOOOOO Dodgers.    That's what my husband, Wayne, and I cheered at our first major league baseball game at Dodger Stadium several years ago.  The history, the crowds, the players, the Dodger dogs (well, maybe not quite so much), all lived up to our expectations. After a season of following the LA Dodgers, mostly on TV, by January of the following year, we were baseball starved.  Maybe a quick trip to attend Spring Training Cactus League games in the Phoenix, Arizona could tide us over until the regular season?  After all, Phoenix is just a quick, one-hour flight from our hometown of El Paso, Texas. 

The problem was we couldn't imagine what the Spring Training experience was like or how to prepare for it.  Where would be the closest place to stay in Phoenix?  How much should we expect to pay for accommodations? Should we rent a car or use ride-sharing services?  What would it be like to spend many hours in the Southwestern sun at the day games?  How should we dress?  Would food and drink be available at the stadium?  The only first hand account of Spring Training that we had was from a chance meeting with a baseball fan on an Amtrak train.  He described taking blankets and sitting on the grass with a picnic lunch.  Somehow that description did not paint a picture of the experience we were looking for. 

So we winged it.  We flew into Phoenix on Friday, March 15, met up with family members from LA, attended a Dodgers game on both Saturday and Sunday, and flew home late Sunday evening.  And what a great time we had.  Here are a few highlights that bring back many pleasant memories.

LA Dodgers on the Field at Camelback Park Stadium

We were joined in the stadium by many Dodger fans.

A unique experience was watching batting practice.  Yes!  That is Kiké Hernández!

Fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Justin Turner in the golf cart.  He fooled them by holding up his own camera.

I would like to share with other baseball fans my list of Do's and Dont's for the ultimate Spring Training Experience.  

DO start looking early to reserve accommodations in Phoenix.  Rooms are neither plentiful nor cheap. Many MLB teams train in the area, and their fans flock to watch them play. 

DO rent a car if possible.  Ride-sharing is available, but we found it to be more expensive and less convenient than a car rental.

DO take sunscreen to the park and apply it liberally and often.  Very comfortable, casual clothes are recommended. 

DO check the Phoenix weather before you go, but be prepared for a fickle March climate.

DO go early to walk around the beautifully landscaped Candleback Park Stadium and watch batting practice, even if you have to stick your nose through the fence like a kid.

DO buy tickets early on line.  Both games we attended were sold out.  

Do remember to thank the many local volunteers that make Spring Training a relaxed, festive experience.

And a few DONT's!

DON''T expect to easily get players' autographs.  The line for autograph signing is long, and the park recommends that adults allow only children to have that experience.

DON'T go early to the park hungry. Breakfast foods are not available, except for coffee. And you will almost surely have to stand in long lines at food booths all day.  Buying foot long hot dogs and frozen yogurt took us away from the action for an entire inning. But the food was very tasty. 

DON'T miss going into downtown Phoenix.  The nightlife is contagious.  We had a great dinner at The Arrogant Butcher, even though Wayne had to eat broccoli instead of french fries for a side dish to his delicious steak. He survived.

We are looking forward to next year's MLB Spring Training,  The experience is relaxing (who cares who wins?), the atmosphere is festive (like a big party), and hope always springs anew for our favorite team, the Dodgers, for a shot at a World Series victory.

Remembrance of Breakfasts Past

"What would you like for breakfast this morning?" my husband, Wayne, asked one dreary February morning as we were sitting at home in El Paso, Texas.

 "Eggs Benedict at Wynn's Hotel in Dublin," I replied facetiously. Our travel funds were in short supply with the stock market bouncing up and down, and we had no plans to travel to faraway lands anytime soon. But at least we have our breakfast memories.

Not all travelers may agree, but to us breakfast in a new city is one of the highlights of a trip.  (We have friends and relatives who prefer to sleep in and miss breakfast, can you imagine?)  We began to reminisce about breakfast meals we have enjoyed in our travels.

First place goes to Wynn's Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.  Wynn's is a traditional (shall I say staid?) Victorian hotel located near the famous Abbey Theatre.  A maitre d' ushers guests into the elegant dining room with views of  passersby on Abbey Street Lower.  Your coffee cup in filled with steaming strong coffee as you are being seated. Wayne invariably orders Eggs Benedict and swears that they are the best he has ever had.

Wynn's Hotel, Dublin Ireland

The runner-up for our best breakfast memory goes to La Fonda On the Plaza Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Santa Fe is only a six hour drive from our home (close by Texas standards), so we have been guests at the hotel many times, often during the Christmas season.  The breakfast room, La Plazuela, is a large, bright area with a fountain in the middle and hand painted glass tiles on doorways. Eggs Benedict is again usually Wayne's menu choice.

La Fonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico

I generally order a less ambitious dish, like this one with yogurt, granola and fresh fruit.

La Fonda Hotel on the Plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Another breakfast memory is not so much about the food but rather the incredible views from the balcony where breakfast is served at the CS Vintage House Hotel in Pinhão, Portugal.  This picturesque small city is located on the Douro River in the wine country.  I could sit all day and watch the boats on the river and gaze across to the vineyards on the hills. 

Pinhão, Portugal

A much less extravagant breakfast that still brings us happy memories was in a small tea shop in the village of Greenwich, UK.  I look forward to ordering tea (hot tea we would call it in Texas) in Britain because you are served not just a cup but a whole pot of tea with sugar and cream on the side.  Scones with clotted cream and jam are the perfect accompaniment to the tea, which always tastes better to me than our American tea.   

Greenwich, United Kingdom

A breakfast we can have any time we feel like driving about an hour from our home is in a small restaurant called The Shed in Las Cruces, New Mexico. What a perfect place to start a relaxed Saturday enjoying the multicultural atmosphere of the "City of the Crosses." We have to remind ourselves to bring a hearty appetite, because servings are quite large.  The quiche comes with a variety of fresh fruit and crusty bread.

The Shed, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Our last standout memory are the breakfasts served on the long distance VIA Canadian train between Toronto and Vancouver.  We have taken the four-day trip both ways, east to west and west to east, once in the dead of winter.  I can't say enough about how much we love to the travel on the Canadian. And being served a sumptuous breakfast while watching the Canadian landscape pass by through large picture windows is about as much fun as a person should be allowed to have.

VIA Rail Canada

I'm not sure where our travels will take us next.  To the Isle of Skye in Scotland? Northern Spain? A train trip in British Columbia?  Wherever it is, I know Wayne will ask me, "What do suppose they serve for breakfast?"

A Magical Visit to Taos, New Mexico

The arrival of the Christmas season each year fills me with expectation of something out of the ordinary.  I long for the Ghost of Christmas Present to sprinkle magic dust on our household as he did for Christmas Eve revelers in Dickens' famous work.

When autumn arrives, my husband, Wayne, and I start making plans for the Christmas holidays, trying to avoid having nothing better to do than sit around by ourselves, flipping through Netflix.  Our first choice is always to celebrate with family members, but logistics are often complicated.

For several seasons now, we have traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico, about six hours from our hometown of El Paso, Texas, and stayed at the luxurious La Fonda on the Plaza hotel.  This year we decided to gamble on a new location—Taos, New Mexico.

Taos is a small town located in north-central New Mexico, about a seven hour drive from El Paso.  (Readers from other parts of the country may be surprised that Texans think nothing of spending long hours on the road.  We met a mother and daughter from San Antonio, Texas who told us they had traveled with their dogs for two long days to spend Christmas in Taos.)

And did we find magic in Taos?  Indeed we did, in small but significant ways.  Here are a few, in no particular order.

On a short drive to Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we were charmed by the many beautiful horses roaming contentedly, often in front of humble dwellings. The snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains formed a backdrop to the peaceful scene.    

Our perfect stay at Casa Benavides Historic Inn prompted my five star review on Trip Advisor.  Located just a block off the central plaza, Casa Benavides spoils guests with personalized service, comfortable rooms, and a breakfast worth getting up for.  On December 25th, we shared the breakfast room with a large family, all dressed in identical Christmas pajamas.  The ultimate comfort, although I would never be that brave.

At about 3:00 p.m., it was time to eat again, with afternoon tea and homemade pastries produced by three staff bakers.  On Christmas Day, tea was served in the decorated sitting room, where you could observe passers-by at the front window or chat with other guests. Staff members dressed up in holiday finery and joined us.

Casa Benavides makes liberal use of the distinctive shade of blue found in Santa Fe and Taos.  I can't replicate the color at home, but I can recognize it immediately.

We admired the rounded corners of pueblo-style architecture that have an amazingly serene effect on the soul. No sharp angles, just a pleasing flow.

A special dinner at Doc Martin's Restaurant in the Taos Inn (THE place for live music) satisfied both my carnivore husband, who ordered a steak, and my vegetarian leanings, with a quinoa and fall vegetable dish.  We shared a decadent dessert, something with strawberries and cream, as I recall.

Taos shops and cafes were open for business.  We popped in a small bakery for coffee and pastry, served by the baker herself.  Maybe because we showed interest in her baking  she handed us a bag of free rolls as we went out the door.  Also memorable was the proprietor of the only store open on the plaza on Christmas night.  When we thanked him, he said he enjoyed being there because he didn't have friends or family to be with.  

Of all of our experiences, my peak Taos experience was visiting San Francisco de Asís Mission Church as volunteers prepared the grounds for Christmas Eve.  

Paper bags turned into farolitos (luminarias) appeared to have been hand decorated, perhaps by school children.  Candles nestled in sand in each bag would be lighted on Christmas Eve.

From simple decorations on paper bags to intricate jewelry displayed in store windows, we admired the creativity on display.  Taos has long been a mecca for famous artists and writers.  I have heard said that the light in northern New Mexico has a special inspirational quality.  

Taos may not a vacation spot for ticking off tourist experiences, although if a traveler was of a mind to, they could visit the Rio Grande Gorge, Kit Carson Museum, and Taos Pueblo Christmas celebrations.  But on this Christmas holiday, Taos seduced me with bracing clear cold air, warm hospitality, and sunsets against the sky, a startling shade of dark blue.

A California Dreamin' Thanksgiving

To be memorable!  That's how I rate a holiday experience.  And my husband, Wayne, and I just spent a Thanksgiving holiday in California we are still reliving.

Celebrating Thanksgiving away from our home state of Texas (we are El Pasoans) was something we had done only once before. A typical Texas Thanksgiving is all about large doses of Food, Family, and Football.   This holiday, however, took us up the California coast, almost to San Luis Obispo. What would the weather be like?  What clothes should we pack?  What would be an appropriate hostess gift?  Would our hosts fix a traditional meal with turkey and all the usual trimmings? 

California Coast

Our first stop on the drive up the coast from Burbank was in the city of Ventura, where Wayne found the exact shoes he had been searching for in an REI store.  No crowds, no hassles, and a friendly young salesman who told us his family was having an unusual Thanksgiving this year because his grandmother's house had been affected by wildfires in the area.  We saw evidence of  a wildfire that had jumped ten lanes of traffic to wreck havoc on the other side.

Continuing up the coast, often with a view of a sunlit sea, what impressed us most was the abundant vegetation, dear to the heart of desert dwellers.  Lunch was in the coastal town of Santa Barbara. Excellent food, atmosphere, and service.  We weren't quite acclimated enough to sit in the outside seating area, even though the weather was mild.  I made a mental note to put Santa Barbara on our list of future vacation spots.  

Restaurant in Santa Barbara

Our reservations were at the Pismo Beach Hotel, a venerable hotel in the heart of the town, a block from the beach and two blocks from a cafe specializing in freshly made cinnamon rolls.

Pismo Beach

What a relaxing sight our first view of the ocean was!  I can still close my eyes and hear the waves crashing.

Beach at Pismo

The first night in Pismo was spent with family members doing wonderfully old-fashioned activities— first bowling and later playing billiards. (Wayne and I had aching muscles for several days afterwords!)

Thanksgiving morning we walked the short distance to Pismo Beach to watch the Turkey Trot, a well-attended run/walk for charity.

Participants waiting for Turkey Trot to start

Thanksgiving dinner turned out to be a familiar affair with turkey, dressing, vegetables, rolls, gravy,  pecan pie and apple pie made with apples picked that morning off a tree on the property. Guitar playing, board games, dominoes, ping-pong, and a football game kept everyone from falling asleep in the afternoon.

The next day, our host, a native of the area, treated us to a driving tour.  Wayne's favorite spot was Hartford Pier, where he had his first delicious taste of fresh smoked salmon.

Amiable owner of shop at Hartford Pier

Describing the appeal of a coastal area in words is difficult.  The air was moist and sweet-smelling, the locals and tourists alike were relaxed and appeared to be taking life easy, and the flowering plants were exuberant compared to those that we nurse along in the desert.  I was especially impressed with the size of the succulents that can live outside all your round in this California climate.

California Succulents

My miniature succulents at home are already tucked inside in front of a bright window for the winter.

Our last meal in California before catching a plane for home was at a Mexican food restaurant in Los Angeles.  But it wasn't just any old restaurant; it was an all-vegan restaurant .Very interesting!  Pozole, tacos, gorditas, enchilada, tostadas, margaritas, chocolate ice cream all made without animal products.  Because I am not a meat lover, deciding what to order was easy.  I would have enjoyed anything on the extensive menu. I'm not sure El Paso is ready for an all-vegan restaurant, however.  We think our traditional Mexican food is the best in the world. 

Patio of All-Vegan Restaurant in  Los Angeles

The Thanksgiving we spent on the California coast now seems like a pleasant dream.  The holiday was enough like a Texas Thanksgiving for us to feel comfortable but different enough to challenge us with new ideas and experiences. I know our thoughts will drift back to coastal California for many more Thanksgiving holidays to come.