Posts in category Travels

Day 5 – Copenhagen, Denmark

Jun29
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

: Image by Luhai Wongvia Flickr

The first stop on our 12 day cruise is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Let’s start with a brief Copenhagen history or such. Copenhagen is the capital city of Denmark. The entire country is about the half the size of Maine. Copenhagen means “Merchant City” and is to believe to be founded around 1167 by Bishop Absalon. Local currency in Denmark is the Krone (DKK).

Ok, enough history and general information – if you want more look it up on-line. We decided not to take one of the guided tours from the ship, due to the closeness of most items of interest, so we set off by foot. Walking around Copenhagen was fairly easy, but after awhile the cobblestone streets can wear on you. Copenhagen is a very elegant and clean city. It has a very special blend of old and new architecture. Its people were extremely friendly and helpful. I can see why this is one of the highlight destinations in Europe. Our walking trip took us through the vast shops and café’s to the Amalienborg Palace, home of the Danish Royal family since 1749. Our next main attraction for me anyways, was Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli Gardens is Copenhagen’s famous amusement park in the heart of the city. We were told that Walt Disney visited there before he built Disneyland. I can definitely see some similarities. I wish that I had the courage to try some of their rides; they definitely had some that are not for the weak at heart. The last spot that we planned on visiting was the Little Mermaid Statue, but it was on loan to China.

My overall impressions with Copenhagen are:

The people are extremely helpful and friendly.
It is a clean and beautiful city.
Cost of stuff is a bit higher for everything. When traveling, you expect the costs to be higher than the US, but with Copenhagen expect higher. Cost of living must be extremely high.
While there my wife and I decided to try one of the local hot dog specials. We saw Anthony Bourdain’s Copenhagen’s special and the hot dog that he ate, so we decided why not. That hot dog got us thinking why not try a hot dog in every county that we attended on this trip. This hot dog is much longer and thinner than our usual American version. We went with the completely covered version – which had bacon, cucumbers, mustard, onions and horseradish. I have to say it was an experience that I enjoyed.
Denmark was playing their first match of the World Cup that day. The streets and pubs were alive with crazed football fans.

Some odd ball items:

McDonald’s has free wifi.
Tivoli Garden’s – you have to purchase a ticket to get into the park and if you want to ride a ride – you must purchase tickets (if you want to do more than one, buy the multi-ride pass).

Tagged fun, reflections

Day 4 – At Sea (Days 6, 12, 14 – same)

Jun28
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Shot taken from our balcony

With Day 3 being extremely long, having the first day at sea is just what the doctor would order, rest and relaxation. It was a lazy day. On this trip, we were blessed with 4 at sea days. Many would argue that four days is too much. For me, I wanted to get to rest up some. So having four days was great.

Each night when you were off to dinner, your stateroom attendant would deliver you next day agenda, so you could map out your day. Planning is a key step in success!

Agenda for those “At Sea” days:

Go to the gym for some workouts
Attend a seminars (health, wellness, bettering yourself)
Attend the port of call briefing to understand what to look for, where to shop and understand the port better
Rest and relax
Write
Meet new people – there are over 2400 people on board, not counting the crew. There are plenty of opportunities to meet people, just have to sometimes make the first step. A warm “hello” or “enjoying the cruise so far” can go a long ways.

I have to say, I did accomplish most of what I set out to do. With the included items as watching World Cup 2010 with some crazy’s from Europe. The first game of the World Cup for the USA was against England – which was exciting. I got to see how much each country gets behind their “football”. Since the ship was majority British and American – that first match between the countries was pretty cool to soak in. I am not shy about meeting people, so I did have some interesting conversations. The only drawback for me was I can only communicate in English. So, this hampered some effective communications. I struggled with some of the accents – some of which the folks are supposed to speak English already (not to upset the British folks, it was a bit difficult for me at first). I really enjoyed my at sea days.

Added 7/29: Met some great people.

Our dinner table was just great – J, Michael, Karen and Marc (Thanks!)
Derek, the wacky inventor, and Pam – the discussions were fun!
Cigar bar – staff (Rey the bartender and Duncan the guitarist)
The crew of the Jewel of the Seas – the smiles are priceless.

Tagged fear, fun, goals, people, thoughts

Day 3 – London to Harwich (check-in and boarding cruise)

Jun27
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Another day and another opportunity for me to apply some key lessons. As we had difficulty moving about on the tube on day 1, I was not going to make that mistake again, off to Liverpool Station in a taxi. There is always just another adventure just around the corner and today was no exception. Liverpool station is just a minor adventure. Down the escalation with many bags, large station and no idea where to go. So, off to the help desk. After some minor questions and answers – I was off to purchase tickets. We got our tickets for the train to Harwich International with moments to spare. Once our gate was up on the board, we were off for the next part, sitting on the train for about an hour. The train ride was definitely a good way for us to view the country-side.

The day was rolling along very smoothly. Yes, I wrote it and quickly the tides turned as we got closer to the check-in for the cruise. Walking up, I noticed that there were not many folks waiting around. My wife and I have been on a few cruises and the check-in usually has quite a few folks waiting around. We were greeted nicely with a smile and a memo that the departure time has been changed, due to the last cruise having about a 300 or so folks get sick causing the cruise line to super cleaning the complete ship. We checked in and were shuffled off to a bus to take us to a locate hospitality area. We rode to Colcesther and to the local football stadium. Many folks were upset, unhappy and tired from their travels. Me, it was an inconvenience but rolled with it. No need to upset yourself over something that you have no control over. We got to continue to experience new things, what more can you ask for. After hours we were called to board the bus and head back to board. Excitement starts to set in again. Once back, there were lots of people now waiting to board, a familiar sight. We got on board and were greeted with another smile and an announcement that we are only allowed in the common areas, no checking out your room, they are still being super cleaned. The silver lining in this was that you actually had plenty of time to see the ship. The Jewel of the Sea is a very large ship (Royal Caribbean Cruise Line), with that time we got to explore all over before leaving port. It was a very long day, as we were finally allowed to get to our staterooms around 10pm. I was lucky, as all of our luggage was waiting for us in the room. Unpack and finally get some sleep.

Overall, the ship’s crew did an amazing job with handle the customer service end. The crew smiled and tried their best to remain positive throughout the late afternoon and evening. Many people could have taken a lesson from keeping a positive attitude – as it helps to make a bad situation at least seem better.

Lessons learned from Day 3:

Stuff happens; you must roll with them and stay positive throughout. I watched so many people set themselves off to a very bad start to a 12 day vacation. Me, stayed upbeat, smiled and enjoyed the people around me.
No question this day was rough for me and many others. Not as rough as the crew that did have to deal with the super cleaning. So as bad as you think it is for you – someone else is having it worse.

Things I would have done differently:

Called ahead to the cruise line to see if there were any delays in boarding. Especially that day… As it was the Queen’s birthday parade and is a big deal in London. I know I would have like to experience that. Since we did not really board the ship till after 4pm, I could have gotten an opportunity to see the Queen and everything that goes with that day.

Tagged fun, reflections, thoughts

Day 2: London (Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath)

Jun26
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

My intention for writing these and posting real time – just did not happen (some technical difficulties and time). So I will be publishing my travels now. I am going to post by day… All pictures or videos in my post will be those that were taken out and about by my wife or myself.

A mission that I wanted to get accomplished on this trip was to get a day trip or two completed. Keeping with the flexibility theme and the lessons learned from the day earlier – we decided to sign up for a tour instead of doing this day on our own. Simply put, my skills in getting around with public transportation is just okay. Getting around with those 3 locations would definitely would have stretched my abilities. Know your limitations and make sure that you set yourself up for success!

Overall, the day went pretty well. The timetable for this trip is pretty tight! During the travel time, about an hour between each location, the guide gave us the history, what to look for and some basic tips to see the sites. Basically, they are not allowed to guide you once inside the venues. Since this was my first time with any of the sights, I have to say that they were pretty good. Windsor Castle is impressive. It’s size and overall appearance you can not get from just looking from the highway. We were very lucky to get through the tour and watch some of the changing of the guards. Stonehenge was next on the agenda. I was impressed with the wonder and mystery of Stonehenge. Walking around the outside of definitely kept me wondering why and how all of this was done. Now that I have seen it, I doubt I would go back, too many people. Our last stop was Bath, which was one of the spots that my wife and I were before, but due to limited time and bad weather we missed really getting to see anything. This time we had limited time, but the weather was awesome. We did get to see the Roman Baths and do some window shopping. Since we had been to Pompeii, trying to compare is not fair. The hot natural bath and set up was in those times a very impressive engineering feat.

Lessons learned:

Apply learning’s can be key.
High expectations may not always be met. I definitely had too high of expectations for the day trip. Overall good, but not outstanding.

What I would do differently:

Don’t set high expectations, just soak in the experience. High expectations are solid, but when traveling and experiencing new things – go with the flow.

Tagged learning, thoughts

Day 1 Travel and London

Jun16
2010 1 Comment Written by Steve

Landing a little after 7am local time and not sleeping on the flight, definitely had me feeling the effects. Made it through customs, picked up the bags and got our tickets on the train to London – with no hassles. Everything going smooth. As like in every instance of feeling everything is going well, we encountered the first hurdle, Victoria Station! I studied the maps, routes to the hotel and figured we would do the tube. With the luggage that we had with us (traveling for about 2 weeks) made that choice a bad one. Would have been much better to take a taxi from the station to the hotel.

My plan was off to a rocky start and did not get better from there. I thought we would be able to get early check-in and a shower to held out and enjoy exploring and reacquainting us to London (had been over 4 years since last there). We were too tired from the lack of sleep on the flights and the hotel did not have a room ready yet. An hour later the room was ready and we crashed! I guess my age caught up to me. Once the power nap and shower were completed it was time to held out to see London, which was just as cool as I remembered. Getting around on the tube is almost as much fun as using the subway in New York. We enjoyed the late evening exploring and the evening London Eye.

Lessons learned from Day 1:

Sleeping on the flights is a must.
Traveling on the Tube with lots of luggage – not good. One bag is ok.
Flexibility is key to success.

What I wished I had done differently:

Had jumped on the day tour double decker bus to get reacquainted with London. My memory is usually good, but over 4 years I just can not remember that wonderful Italian restaurant and pub we spent time at in our last trip.
Used a taxi from Victoria Station.

Tagged fun, people, thoughts

Travel Blogging

Jun09
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

: Image via Wikipedia

The time has officially started, traveling to places I have never been. I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks, as my wife and I head out. I am not sure how this is all going to go, as I have all good intentions of attempting to write to my blog every couple of days – with the places and the sites. For me, that is part of the fun – have a basic idea and see where it goes.

When traveling, the experts always tell you to do as much upfront planning as possible. I believe that I have done just that. I had my trip lists of what to do, what to see and such – put together. This time around, I was the vacation planner and set up everything (definitely new to me). Three months ago, the basics of the trip was set, just need the details ironed out. Two months before – all set! Month before – finished most of the reading up on the locations and stuff that was of interest to my wife and I.

Week before – time to really get going. Here is where I found that it is really time to put pen to paper. List for everything. Packing list, daily to do lists for home, trip and everything else. Writing everything down and checking off the stuff that is done – is very helpful. Yesterday was packing day… Some folks would say, do it weeks in advance, not me – I had the basics written down. Of course, you have to make sure that you do not go over the weight restriction per bag. I think I maybe a pound or two over on each… Only the airport scales will tell the truth. Let’s hope all is well…

Anticaption is a wonderful thing, sometimes. That night before the trip sleep is a bit tough. I have found over the years that I usually go to bed late, wake up early and just have a very restless sleep. Excitement in the air. Soon we will be leaving the house, driving to the airport and finding out that the pack job was a success. Then begins the long day of air travel! Excitement to get going! So, excited that I am up hours before the alarm, writing this post.. I am not looking forward that long air trip Phoenix, Az to London. Nothing like leaving at 10am in the morning on Wednesday to land in London about 10am the next day. Kindle is loaded with reading material, iPod has new music and all other electronic devices have a fun charge.

List of devices going on this trip – Kindle, iPod Shuffle, Kodak Sport Video Camera, Asus Netbook with Intel Atom micro processor (insert shameless plug) and Flip Video Camera.

Tagged reflections, thoughts, Travel

Sabbatical Time

May05
2010 1 Comment Written by Steve

Every have one of the benefits that make you want to shout to the world? Well, I am about to take one of those benefits that my employer offers for the fourth time, a sabbatical. What is a sabbatical you ask? It is 8 weeks off every 7 years of employment. That is 8 weeks off – paid! This is used to recharge your battery from 7 years of hard work. Some folks use it for continuing their education, relaxing, traveling or whatever. My favorites are hanging with the family and traveling.

Below is an idea of my sabbatical adventures (and the planned one):

#1 was a complete learning experience. I was young, with a young family and we just moved from Arizona to Oregon. So, we did some family vacations to Disneyland, Arizona and around Oregon. I spent most of my time reducing my golf handicap.
#2 – learning from the first one, I put some cash away this time. Our family trips were more all over the place. We did Florida (all of the hot spots), spent a week on the beautiful Oregon coast (attempting to locate a place of our own), vacation in Mexico and the family spent time together in Vegas (hockey camp and some gambling).
#3 – now that was a sabbatical! Son graduated high school and we took him on a Caribbean cruise with a buddy of his. After 3 days home – the wife and I went on a 2 week Mediterranean cruise (our first time in Europe). Another couple of days home and off to Vegas and other parts of Nevada. I again spent time trying to improve my golf handicap.
#4 (this one) – well, nothing as full as #3, but still pretty good. Wife and I are heading to London for 3 days, then we board a Scandinavia And Russia Cruise. Again, all places that we have not gone to. The rest of the time are small couple of day times to visit with family and friends. I will have some time to spend redesigning and redoing the backyard! I will not be spending time reducing my golf handicap, not that it is in single digits, just too hot in the summer in Arizona.

For this sabbatical, I am planning on documenting my travels! So, for those that follow my posts, you will be seeing some new material and a new category called travels. I hope to share my experiences on my two plus weeks in Europe. If you have been to these places already – please share you experiences – so, I can tailor my short time on shore.

I really enjoy this benefit called a sabbatical. It is something that when I explain it to others, they just can not believe that you can walk away from your job for 8 weeks and get paid. Some new folks with the company, would rather that they get an extra week of vacation per year. I say – no thanks. Taking significant time off to completely recharge your battery is needed. The added benefit is that I have been able to visit places that I could only dream about. I look forward to putting 8 to 12 new stops on my world map.

As stated in my previous post – I have worked for my employer 28 years. In this day and age, that is almost never heard of. That sabbatical benefit probably has helped me the most to make it this far. I have had significant breaks in that 28 years. Plus looking forward to your next one is pretty exciting to. Will there be a #5? Probably not, better yet, no. 7 years will make it 35 for me.

Posted in Observations - Tagged fun

Vacations – Time to Relax and Reflect

Oct13
2009 Leave a Comment Written by Steve

Welcome to Capilano Suspension Bridge Just back from a wonderful time off. My wife and I decided that getting away to someplace different was in order. We decided that we were going to do a little land and a little sea trip. Started off with a couple of days in Vancouver, British Colombia and then catching a cruise liner from Vancouver to San Diego (a repositioning cruise). We did this with some family friends! I have spent time in many Canadian cities but not Vancouver (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec City, Winnipeg to name a few). I could see myself spending more time there, for sure. Beautiful, friendly people, pet friendly and just a nice change from the Arizona desert!

Standing on the bridge

While in Vancouver there is one place that is a must, Capilano Suspension Bridge. If you are afraid of heights – this may not be for you. The overall park was a welcome change from the usual site seeing attractions. We spent the afternoon enjoying our walk around the park, the suspension bridge and tree top walkways. Just a couple of pictures from the park -

Butchart Gardens

The next 4 days were on our cruise! We had one port of call, Victoria, BC. An island not too far from Vancouver. We again did one of the tourist sites, Butchart Gardens. For me, going to anything to do with gardens, flowers or fountains – I really am not interested. I have to say, this place was definitely worth the trip. Beautiful and well taken care of! Just one picture (of many I took) -

Like most vacations, I like to set some goals for my time. This one was not different. My goals were:

Not to be connected (I left the laptop and Blackberry at home). Tough at first, but I definitely did not miss it by the second day.
Read a book (one that was not business in away – just an enjoyable read). Only got through half the book, but I did enjoy it!
Reflect on my blog, my job and some critical items I want to accomplish in the coming month. I have a solid list of activities – that I have to implement over the coming weeks. But, I am extremely happy with the output. Getting away from it all – helps to clear the mind!
Try not to gain back too much weight. Food is the cruise lines best friend. I wanted to stay under 4 pounds gained. Was successful – only 3 pounds up (and that is all gone already).

I was very pleased with the trip! Spending time with my best friend is always enjoyable. We got to see stuff together that neither of us have seen before. The family friends that came with us – it was our first time traveling together – we had a wonderful time together. Good food, good friends – how could you go wrong?