11-12 December 2010

I think these are pretty accurate weekend totals for the amount of time I spent in airports and on planes.....this weekend.

Saturday-
4 hours on a plane
3 hours in the airport

and then back home when they closed the airport. I could have just about gotten to Europe in that amount of time. I am just trying to get to Vegas.

Sunday-
I am on hour 4 in the Salt Lake City airport. We have a plane, but don't have pilots to fly it.

Plus.....
4 hours on two different flights
7 hours in two airports - Minneapolis and St. Louis

It has been a very long day. Lesson learned.

Lesson = consult crystal ball before booking travel, especially during the winter months.

Salt Lake City

It has been 8 years since I've been here. I had forgotten how beautiful this part of the country is. I had a window seat and took it all in.

The lake
The snow-covered mountains
And...the reflection of the mountains in the lake.

I love water and I really enjoy the beauty and wonder of mountains. This city has the perfect combination of both.

I won't be leaving the airport, but felt compelled to comment on the beauty of my surroundings.

On-time flights

So far...only one of my flights has left on time. Unfortunately, it was the one I missed because my previous flight was delayed. I am feeling very confident that I will make it to Las Vegas tonight. Only 24 hours later than when I should have arrived.

Third plane

I am on my third plane in two days and still haven't left Minnesota yet. I am now back on a direct flight to St Louis instead of going through Detroit or Atlanta first. I wouldn't have minded going to Atlanta if my flight could have made it out at 7:20 am. De-icing the plane apparently caused it to lose a circuit. Then we had trouble getting to a gate so the mechanics could board to fix the issue.

I got a first class upgrade and while I rarely drink, especially this early, I am taking advantage of the free alcohol. Cheers! Still hoping to get to Vegas.

No mileage run

I still may not make it to Vegas today, but now I have a direct flight. I am missing out on lots of miles, but my headache and stomache are gone.

Again, I applaud the hundreds of people who are working outside at the Minneapolis airport in a blizzard.

Mileage run

Today will likely be my first and only mileage run. A mileage run is flying just to get miles; typically to make or keep elite status with an airline.
Yes, I live in Minnesota.
Yes, I know it snows in Minnesota in December.
Yes, I knew the risks.
I booked this trip a month ago and was very optimistic that I could avoid delays at all four airports I was scheduled to be at.
Yesterday it became five airports when my first flight was canceled.
I think the snow fall total was seven inches when I left for the airport. Worried. But still a bit optimistic.

My initial flight plan was Minneapolis to St Louis to Atlanta to Vegas. It wasn't just a mileage run. I just chose to take the long way to Vegas. It was supposed to net me nearly 10,000 miles.

Probably a foot of snow now.

All Minneapolis to St Louis flights were canceled. I was forced to add another leg to my trip and decided on Detroit because the storm was supposed to miss them. I was sure that I was going to be fine if I could get out of Minneapolis.
Three hours later I am still on the tarmac in MSP. The first problem was the right engine wouldn't start after de-icing. We were towed back to the gate for a jump. About ten people gave up and de-planed.

After an hour or so at the gate with the poor mechanics working very hard both engines started. We then went to the de-icing pad to de-ice the rest of the plane and the left engine died. They were finally able to re-start it.
Kudos to all of those people who are working outside in a blizzard to get our plane going. Applause!

The flight attendants say NOT leaving is not an option because this plane is needed somewhere else. I am comforted by her calmness.

My flight from Detroit should have departed ten minutes ago. I am still in MSP.

Update - runway is closed for snow removal. De-icing has stopped.

I'm sure I will get to Vegas eventually. Hopefully the nice folks in Detroit can get me to Vegas from there. I am over trying to get 10,000 miles.

Victoria and Albert Museum

I spent last Saturday morning roaming around this museum. There were two exhibits that I enjoyed:

1. glass - loads of old and new glass. Some kitschy and some elegant. Vases, glasses, figurines and more.

2. fashion - men's and women's fashion from the last hundred years or so. I really like the dresses that women wore in the 50's. Think Mrs. Cleaver. The dresses were simple yet elegant, and flattering. Since most things come back "in style" I am hoping these make a comeback.

This museum is in many "must see" lists for London.

The TSA baggie

I have gotten very good at cramming lots of little bottles into a quart-sized bag in order to comply with TSA's regulation regarding bringing liquids, gels, etc. on board an airplane.

I was very excited to read Blogger Bob's post about deodorant. This was a game changer for me! My deodorant doesn't need to be three ounces or less and doesn't need to be in my baggie. I now have more room for moisturizers and other stuff.

Thanks Bob!

And in other good news.....there is a store at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport that sells my 2nd favorite energy drink. And the store is after security so I can bring it with me on the airplane.

My local airport now has a wine bar. I will need to check it out!

(No, I won't be drinking wine and an energy drink at the same time. I will save the energy drink for later.)

Madison, WI

This was our first trip to visit Jill since she left for college. We were supposed to visit her the weekend before, but that didn't happen because her grandmother died so we went to Des Moines instead. (See previous post)

The highlight of the weekend was going to Camp Randall stadium for a football game. It was Wisconsin vs. #1-rated Ohio State. I arrived at the game not really caring who won. I am not a fan of either team. It was a big upset. The Wisconsin Badgers easily defeated Ohio State, who was probably overrated.

I haven't written about this before, but I am a huge fan of college football - specifically the Big Ten. I have been an Iowa Hawkeye fan for several years. Jill is a Badger now so her loyalty has changed. I think I will start another list - Big Ten football stadiums that I've visited. I want to see Iowa play (and beat!) the other Big Ten teams in their home stadiums. I've been to Iowa's stadium many times - Kinnick.

I am planning to see at least one other stadium this year - Minnesota's new TCF stadium.

There are actually 11 teams in the Big Ten....going to 12 in a year or so. I think I need a goal to go with my new passion, so I am going to try and get to two per year.

Des Moines, IA

Not a glamorous trip, but still a trip. I went to Des Moines last weekend for a funeral. Not a fun reason for traveling, and not a hot-spot destination. DM is the capitol of Iowa, and the top of the building is very gold.

I stumbled upon an Asian garden, which was lovely. I didn't go looking for it. I only found it because I was looking for a place for my dog to pee. I did stop to enjoy it though. It is these little accidental happenings in life that should be remembered and embraced.

Dublin, day two

The Book of Kells - in the book
Shelbourne hotel - in the book

The Book of Kells is in Trinity College. It is a historically significant book and extremely rare. It was hand painted. However, it was difficult to actually see because of being kept in a dark room, and trying to fight dozens of other people to get close enough to try and read it.

Shelbourne hotel is one of those hotels that I will never stay at, but was neat to see. I was greeted by men in top hats.

We took a double-decker bus tour around Dublin. It is a great way to see lots without killing my feet. We sat on the top deck. One of the highlights was seeing a naked guy in his condo. He obviously knew he could be seen and didn't care. It made me giggle.

We went back to The Temple Bar to listen to Irish music. It was a group of three men and they were very good.

I am glad to have experienced and seen Dublin. I wouldn't make a point of returning, but mostly because there are so many other places on my travel bucket list.

There were five of us on this trip and here are our nicknames:
Me - boots
Jennie - sassy pants and tiny bladder
Jeff - smasher and Jeff-Jeff
Dave - Guinness Master
Nevenka - long pour

Use your imagination. I'm afraid I am not at liberty to explain the origins of the nicknames. You really had to be there!

Dublin, day one

New country alert -- Ireland!

Guinness factory - not in the book

Dublin pub experience - in the book

I don't like Guinness. Everyone said it was "smoother" and would taste better at the source. That may be true, but I am too much of a wimp to drink such a heavy beer. The factory tour was neat though and their gift shop was amazing.

We went to two pubs. They were fun and both had live music. Jeff dumped his beer and broke his beer glass and our section of the pub broke out in laughter and merriment. He was the first of three and each generated the same response.

The first pub was Temple Bar, which is famous -- apparently. We sat next to a giant statue of Arthur Guinness.

I drank Corona. I do like my light, Mexican beer.

Back in the UK

I arrived at Heathrow just after noon local time. I've never arrived on a Monday before - I usually come in over the weekend. There were a few good reasons why I didn't leave home until Sunday night - one of them was Angela and Ryan's wedding. I'm glad I stayed for it!

Typically I arrive in London on Saturday and spend the rest of the afternoon walking around the city and being a tourist. Today... I went straight to our office near Gatwick airport. I just want to curl up on the floor and fall asleep. I don't want to work, I don't want to blog. I really want to sleep.

I don't think I slept any more or less than normal on the flight, but I really need to be up and active -- not sitting in a chair typing and answering the phone.

I am happy to be back in the UK! Despite my fatigue, which I'm sure will pass in a day or two.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

I admit it - I only went to this museum because it is in "the book." But.... I am really glad I did. The courtyard alone is worth a visit. It is so beautiful I could have spent the whole afternoon there. Pretty flowers and ferns - very well maintained. I especially liked the mosaic tile floor in the middle. It would be a great place for a wedding.

There are some really impressive pieces at this museum, and they had a huge theft 20 years ago; but there were entirely too many religious pieces. IMHO (I am considering starting a new list - the number of Mary and baby Jesus paintings I have seen in museums.)

Sadly, the theft included a Vermeer.

John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

The setting for the library is beautiful - right on Boston Harbor. The museum isn't huge; after all, he wasn't President for very long. There is a nice re-creation of the Oval Office - which seems to be a standard feature of presidential museums.

My favorite pieces in presidential museums are the gifts that the President and First Lady receive from kings, prime ministers, and other world leaders. They get some really nice stuff....that they don't get to keep. My favorite piece was a diamond and emerald encrusted purse.

Whoopie Pie

We've forced my niece, Tiffany, to try many new foods on this trip; such as:

lobster, clams, fried oyster, white fish, scallops

And then...I made her try a Whoopie Pie. That is her new favorite food. She may never be a fan of seafood, but she likes her sweets.

Cape Cod

Cape Cod is in "the book." It is lovely here. More great seafood at very low prices....low compared to Minnesota. I am not tired of lobster yet.

The water is chilly, but I still love the beaches. The houses are adorable. This is the kind of place where I'd love to rent a house for a week or more. I can spend many hours sitting on a beach doing nothing....or reading...or people watching...or doing nothing.

Some kids were surfing off one of the beaches today. The waves weren't really big, but I guess they were big enough.

Sand

I love the beach. Really...I do! And, one of the things I like about the beach is the cute, young lifeguard.

I don't think I like sand. There is sand in all of my belongings now. It. is. everywhere.

It is a dolphin.

Maine

Two days - and two states I hadn't been to before.

I really liked Maine. It reminds me of Minnesota, but with an ocean and cheaper seafood.

I hit one place from "the book" - White Barn Inn. Very lovely and elegant hotel and restaurant. The first car I saw in the parking lot was a Bentley. We had dinner reservations - until I found out a jacket was required. We didn't really bring the right clothes for a place with a dress code.

We drove out to Walker's Point in Kennebunkport. This is where President Bush's Maine get-away is located.

Kennebunkport is a cute little town - exactly as I had pictured it. Nice shops and easy to get around.

We had lunch at Federal Jack's. The food was good, and we had an excellent view of the harbor.

New Hampshire

A new state for me! (3 more to go)

We spent the afternoon at Hampton Beach, NH. The weather was perfect. The water was warmer than I expected it to be. I even got a little sun.

And, we saw the Comedians of Chelsea Lately - - very funny! Josh Wolf, Sarah Colonna, Lonnie Love and John Caparulo.

Freedom Trail

We walked the Freedom Trail today. It is in "the book."

Mostly marked by red brick, the Freedom Trail winds through Boston. It takes you by many significant buildings/sights; such as Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere's house, Granary Cemetery, Boston Common and MA State House.

We had lunch at Quincy Market. Wow! Many great food options in one building. But....I don't like paying $3 for a soda - unless I am at a sporting event.

We passed 5 Dunkin' Donuts along the Freedom Trail. In fact, Boston has more Dunkin' Donuts than any other city I've ever been in.

Boston 7 July 2010

I went directly from the airport to Yankee Lobster and ate my first two-pound lobster. I plan to eat many more over the next few days. I rarely order lobster at restaurants in Minnesota because it is cost prohibitive (too expensive)! I want to gorge myself on lobster during this trip - - because I can.

Still here, still planning

It has been way too long since I've posted anything new here. And, I have been traveling - but I keep going to the same places over and over again. That isn't a complaint - I love DC. It is my second home, and was my home for several years. In fact, I would consider living there again - but that is a different blog post.

I still find great pleasure in planning trips. I am planning a trip to MA, NH and Maine. I will be closing the gap on my goal of getting to all 50 states. I will visit New Hampshire and Maine in July - and those are two of the four that I am missing. However, I don't think I will hit many places from the book.

My niece - Tiffany - also purchased "1,000 places to see before you die" and is very anxious to get out and see the United States. She is joining us on our trip out East. Now I need her to get a passport so she can see the rest of the world too.

One year ago I was packing for three weeks in Europe. Memories.....

Arkansas

Been to Little Rock where I visited President Clinton's library. I highly recommend!

Liverpool - 17 March 2010

This isn't in the book, but I guess it is a must see for Beatles' fan.

We didn't plan to be in Liverpool on St. Patrick's Day, but it was a fun day to be there. My hotel was very centrally located. I could walk to the Cavern Club, dozens of pubs, and the waterfront. Parts of Liverpool at very run down and look depressed, but part of this city is thriving.

UK 15 March

I was working, but took detours to knock two cathedrals off of my list from "1000 places to see before you die."



Cathedral Church of St. Andrew in Wells - interior picture is from this church

Salisbury Cathedral - outside pic is from this church

I was amazed at how large the Salisbury Cathedral is. You can see the steeple for miles...and miles...and miles. And it is impressive standing in front of it.

London 13 March

Back in London - yeah!!

I am staying at a different hotel this time and I love it. The location is awesome - I can see the London Eye and Big Ben from my window. I can walk to the offices of three clients - BIS, Parliament and DECC.

I spent the afternoon walking, which included a wander through Trafalgar Square, past Parliament and Westminster Abbey. I had afternoon tea at my hotel. I like afternoon tea!

I saw Private Lives at the Vaudeville theatre. This is a Noel Coward play that I've seen before. It was awesome! It is a comedy, and was very funny. It starred Kim Cattrall and a British actor that I hadn't heard of before.

The worst part of the day - a few body parts STILL hurt from skiing in Vail two weeks ago. I couldn't walk as much as I wanted because I have a sore knee and ankle. I guess I better take it easy....but that is hard because there is always lots to see in the city - even stuff I've seen before is fun to see again.

Vail day three

Injury report:
Sore left hip (from arthritis, not a fall)
Sore left ankle (from a fall)
Sore right knee (from a boot problem)
Sore right thumb (no good reason for this)

I took it very easy this morning and concentrated on my skills. I did not fall today or yesterday. Skiing today was better also because it wasn't as busy. I never had to wait to get on the lift. We spent lots of time waiting in lift lines yesterday. The waiting was very hard on my feet. My ankle injury yesterday was from falling in the lift line - not falling while skiing.

Vail kicked my butt. But I would totally come back.

Good-bye Vail 2010. Hello Park City 2011.

Vail day two

I should have kept track of the number of times I said "wow", "amazing", or "awesome". Vail is 10 times more beautiful than I could have imagined.

The altitude has been difficult to get used to. I am very tired. But it has been an exciting trip.

I am struggling to come up with a good metphor to compare skiing in Minnesota with skiing in Vail - but I just haven't been able to put it in words. The skiing in Vail is so much more challenging than I've ever experienced before. I love the long runs - we don't have them in Minnesota - but they are exhausing.

I am so glad I am here. I do hope to come back next year- we are talking about making this an annaul trip - but I need to get myself into better shape before I return to Vail.

Vail

Vail is one of the places listed in my book. This is my first trip here and so far it is awesome. However, I have not yet been skiing. I am a little nervous since I just started skiing again after a long absence.

I am not going to fall and injure myself. Or anyone else.

Repeat after me....

I am NOT going to fall and injure myself.

Vail Village is very cute and quaint. This is exactly the type of trip I really needed.

Some people think I am crazy for leaving the snow of Minnesota for the snow of Colorado; but it is very different here. There are actual mountains!

Up in the Air

I really liked the movie "Up in the Air." And... not just because George Clooney was in it, but he is the reason why I saw it a second time.

I travel occasionally for work. Not as much as George's character, but enough to make elite status with the airline. There are a few things in that movie that I can related to. Collecting and maximizing miles has become a hobby for me -- in part because I have come to rely on those miles to help with my personal trips.

I was Silver elite with Northwest Airlines in 2009. I made it to Gold with Delta at the end of 2009, which carried over for 2010. I flew 45,000 miles in 2009, and NWA gave me 10,000 bonus miles....which put me over the 50,000 needed for Gold.

My goal for 2010 - platinum - which is 75,000 miles with Delta. I could only make it though if I take many work trips to London. (7ish, plus my typical travel.)

I could start mileage tracking as a new list. I was over 10,000 (elite qualifying) miles by mid-February, and I have 4 trips booked in the next 5 weeks. Now.... I haven't actually flown 10,000 miles yet. Sometimes I get bonus miles. I like bonus miles.

I am saving for a trip to Japan. I find it easier to save frequent flier miles than money. I am confident I will have the miles, but will I have the money when I get there???

NWA.com

NWA.com is gone. Sob...sob....

I started using that website back in 1997 when I lived in DC and needed to travel back to Minnesota.

I miss nwa.com.

2010 Dreams

I don't really make New Year's resolutions, but I have created my travel dream plan for 2010.

Honestly, the first two were not on the original plan, but those trips are planned so I am including them on the list:

Feb - Vail - never been, but I also haven't been skiing in at least a decade.

March - California - Jill's spring break. We are starting in LA (first time for Jill) and will drive up to San Fran to visit relatives.

May - Europe with DH and Andrew. This should coincide with another work trip to London, but I want to go back to Paris too.

July - cruise with the Andrew and Jill before they need to get packing for college. (empty nest alert - that should be a whole new blog)

September - Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. (Yes, it really isn't in October.)

December - Tokyo for Christmas and New Year's.

The Tokyo trip is already in question. I have lots of frequent flier miles saved, but only for the lowest level for redemption. I may have missed my opportunity to use them for the end of this year, so this trip may get postponed until spring break 2011.

Now to the second-tier - really dreaming - need to win the lottery and need more vacation time:

NYC - girls' weekend for shopping and theatre.

New England in the Fall - try to pick up 2 of those missing states - New Hampshire and Maine.

Norway in June

Oregon in August- wine tasting; and way, way over due for a visit with Sharon.

Hawaii in October

Thanksgiving in Arizona with my parents

100

I was sure that I had made it to 100. I must be missing some trips. Or my math is bad.

Hmmmm.......

Cancun - December 2004

This was the first (and only, so far) time in my life that I did not spend Christmas with my parents. Weird, huh? We left for Cancun on Christmas morning and returned on January 1st.

I'll start by putting it out there - it was not our best family vacation. Andrew got sick and DH is not really a beach person. We will probably never go back.

But we did make it to a place featured in "the book" - Chichen Itza. And, thankfully this was still when you could climb to the top. I didn't make it all the way up though because I was very afraid of falling on my way back down.

The other highlight of the trip for me was scuba diving off of Cozumel. I am a water person and love diving. I don't get enough opportunities to indulge this hobby especially given the climate I live in. I really need to live near an ocean.

Snowmageddon 2010

I survived! But I don't have a t-shirt or any other "thing" to commemorate the event.

I should have canceled my last trip to DC. I knew better. They don't handle snow....well.

I am from Minnesota. I have survived many, many bad winters. But, we have the experience, and infrastructure, to deal with winter. DC doesn't.

I spent lots of time in my hotel. It was a very nice hotel - Sofitel - and I would recommend it. Thankfully their room service was excellent, and they didn't run out of my favorites.

Japan - July 2005

Another past trip to document. Most of the details will be missing because my memory is getting fuzzy. This picture is from Hiroshima. There is a flame in the memorial that will be extinguished as soon as there are no more atomic bombs left on Earth.

A survivor of the bomb approached us as we were walking along the river. Her English wasn't very good, but she wanted to say a prayer with us.

Japan is still one of my favorite trips with Andy and Jill. We were gone for two weeks - the longest trip we had ever taken at that point - and they were awesome.

Japan was one of the most tiring trips I have ever been on, but I would totally do it again.

Old Kyoto

Climbing Mount Fuji and restoring the soul - this was the primary reason for taking the trip. We didn't make it to the top though because it was cold and freezing rain. We made it very close. We climbed over night hoping to see a great sunrise, but we were enveloped in clouds.

We sprinkled some of Lew's ashes on Mount Fuji. Lew is DH's father.

The Park Hyatt Tokyo - featured in the "Lost in Translation" movie. We didn't stay here, but hung out in the bar and checked out the view.

Tsukiji Fish Market

Mediterranean Cruise - October 2006

My first cruise ever! And I loved it. I vow every year to go on another cruise, but so far haven't been able to work it into the schedule.

I won't be going into tons of detail, but wanted to document places I visited during this trip that are featured on "the book."

Athens
This was where we embarked on the cruise, but we arrived a day early to see some of the sights. We should have spent more time here.

The Acropolis - it was a beautiful, clear morning and I could see for miles all around Athens.

Turkey
First port.

The Roman Ruins of Ephesus

Malta
We went scuba diving.

Rome
I loved Rome and can't wait to go back.

Forum
Trevi Fountain
Vatican City
Coliseum
Sistine Chapel - we were the last group of the day and had it to ourselves
Mount Etna - we saw lava!

Monte Carlo
Fantasy day spent where the truly rich live, work and play.

The Grand Casino - I left them 20 euros.
Hotel de Paris - beautiful lobby, very expensive

We also went to the Jacques Cousteau museum, but it isn't in the book.

Barcelona
Museu Picasso - we nearly got kicked out because DH was taking unauthorized pictures.

Lisbon
This was the port where we disembarked. It was a national holiday and many things were closed.