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WEEKEND GETAWAYS

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

From Theatre To Zoos To Beaches

By Rich Borell CEO & Founder Bay Area Mags

well as an impressive collection of

One of our favorite stops for drinks

fine wines and craft beers. Seasonal

is Dicks Last Resort. The food there

cocktails curated by Chef de Bar Cory

is reasonably priced with above av-

Alberto are each hand crafted with

erage portions. We all know there’s al-

meticulous attention to taste and pre-

ways a reason to party at Dicks!

sentation.

Of course San Diego has some beautiful Hello Everyone,

Gaslamp Quarter:

beaches likes Coronado, La Jolla and Mission Bay.

Recently my wife and I took a long weekend trip to San Di-

Built by Ulysses S. Grant Jr. in honor of his father, the 18th

When it comes to dining, shopping and

ego, because a road trip sounded fun.

President of the United States, THE US GRANT bears distinc-

some fun, a visit to the Gaslamp Quarter Some of the sites I suggest include:

tion as a treasured National Landmark captivating world Some of the city’s most popular attractions are the muse-

travelers and hosting the city’s premier events since 1910.

• San Diego Zoo: I’d suggest a couple of days Locat-

ums, gardens, and Spanish colonial style architecture found

The hotel’s rich history includes operating a Speakeasy

ed in Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo is one of the largest

in Balboa Park, the world famous

during Prohibition to welcoming

and most famous zoos in the United States.

San Diego Zoo, and the Midway

14 U.S. Presidents, including a fire-

• SeaWorld: located along the waterfront in Mission Bay …

Aircraft Carrier Museum. For a little

side chat by President Franklin Del-

among the highlights are the myriad of shows featuring kill-

history and shopping, visitors can

ano Roosevelt.

er whales, sea lions, dolphins, and other sea life.

• Balboa Park: A great fun place for the family. Balboa Park

stroll the streets of Old Town San

is over a 1400 acre site with historical buildings, numerous

Diego State Historic Park or wander

I love that the modern updates

through the Gaslamp Quarter. San

were appropriate for the time peri-

is a must. The Gaslamp Quarter is a district made up of 16

museums, gardens, and green space.

Diego also has more than 68 miles

od of the hotel.

blocks in a historical neighborhood. If it’s night life you’re

• USS Midway Museum: The museum is an actual Aircraft

looking for … look no further. The district is loaded with

Carrier that includes over 60 exhibits and 25 restored air-

Named one of the “Best Hotel Bars”

night life venues, festivals, including Mardi Gras and at the

craft.

We decided to stay at the US Grant a Luxury Collection Ho-

in the Nation by Food & Wine, The Grant Grill Lounge offers

end of the block you will find Petco Park home of the San

San Diego, a perfect blend of attractions, tourism, awesome

tel. When you stay at the US Grant you will feel like you’re

a unique Gaslamp Quarter experience, equally tantalizing

Diego Padres.

restaurants, blue skies and lots of fun for any age!

staying at the Four Seasons. A National icon since 1910, is

for late-night revelry or mid-day happy hour. With Mixolo-

situated in the city’s lively and historic downtown Gaslamp

gist, Sommelier and Cicerone Jeff Jesenhans at the helm of

The area is loaded with great restaurants like the Bandar

Quarter, just steps from top shopping, dining, and enter-

the beverage offerings, signature drinks include US GRANT

Restaurant and elegant Persian Restaurant, Rei Do Gado a

tainment, and a short drive from the destination’s world-re-

exclusives like the 100 Day Barrel Aged Centennial Manhat-

Brazilian Steakhouse and Seafood Restaurant that features

nowned beaches, museums and family attractions.

tan and Silver Medal award-winning Genepi Americana, as

a gluten free menu.

of beaches in and around the city.

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

From Theatre To Zoos To Beaches

By Rich Borell CEO & Founder Bay Area Mags

well as an impressive collection of

One of our favorite stops for drinks

fine wines and craft beers. Seasonal

is Dicks Last Resort. The food there

cocktails curated by Chef de Bar Cory

is reasonably priced with above av-

Alberto are each hand crafted with

erage portions. We all know there’s al-

meticulous attention to taste and pre-

ways a reason to party at Dicks!

sentation.

Of course San Diego has some beautiful Hello Everyone,

Gaslamp Quarter:

beaches likes Coronado, La Jolla and Mission Bay.

Recently my wife and I took a long weekend trip to San Di-

Built by Ulysses S. Grant Jr. in honor of his father, the 18th

When it comes to dining, shopping and

ego, because a road trip sounded fun.

President of the United States, THE US GRANT bears distinc-

some fun, a visit to the Gaslamp Quarter Some of the sites I suggest include:

tion as a treasured National Landmark captivating world Some of the city’s most popular attractions are the muse-

travelers and hosting the city’s premier events since 1910.

• San Diego Zoo: I’d suggest a couple of days Locat-

ums, gardens, and Spanish colonial style architecture found

The hotel’s rich history includes operating a Speakeasy

ed in Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo is one of the largest

in Balboa Park, the world famous

during Prohibition to welcoming

and most famous zoos in the United States.

San Diego Zoo, and the Midway

14 U.S. Presidents, including a fire-

• SeaWorld: located along the waterfront in Mission Bay …

Aircraft Carrier Museum. For a little

side chat by President Franklin Del-

among the highlights are the myriad of shows featuring kill-

history and shopping, visitors can

ano Roosevelt.

er whales, sea lions, dolphins, and other sea life.

• Balboa Park: A great fun place for the family. Balboa Park

stroll the streets of Old Town San

is over a 1400 acre site with historical buildings, numerous

Diego State Historic Park or wander

I love that the modern updates

through the Gaslamp Quarter. San

were appropriate for the time peri-

is a must. The Gaslamp Quarter is a district made up of 16

museums, gardens, and green space.

Diego also has more than 68 miles

od of the hotel.

blocks in a historical neighborhood. If it’s night life you’re

• USS Midway Museum: The museum is an actual Aircraft

looking for … look no further. The district is loaded with

Carrier that includes over 60 exhibits and 25 restored air-

Named one of the “Best Hotel Bars”

night life venues, festivals, including Mardi Gras and at the

craft.

We decided to stay at the US Grant a Luxury Collection Ho-

in the Nation by Food & Wine, The Grant Grill Lounge offers

end of the block you will find Petco Park home of the San

San Diego, a perfect blend of attractions, tourism, awesome

tel. When you stay at the US Grant you will feel like you’re

a unique Gaslamp Quarter experience, equally tantalizing

Diego Padres.

restaurants, blue skies and lots of fun for any age!

staying at the Four Seasons. A National icon since 1910, is

for late-night revelry or mid-day happy hour. With Mixolo-

situated in the city’s lively and historic downtown Gaslamp

gist, Sommelier and Cicerone Jeff Jesenhans at the helm of

The area is loaded with great restaurants like the Bandar

Quarter, just steps from top shopping, dining, and enter-

the beverage offerings, signature drinks include US GRANT

Restaurant and elegant Persian Restaurant, Rei Do Gado a

tainment, and a short drive from the destination’s world-re-

exclusives like the 100 Day Barrel Aged Centennial Manhat-

Brazilian Steakhouse and Seafood Restaurant that features

nowned beaches, museums and family attractions.

tan and Silver Medal award-winning Genepi Americana, as

a gluten free menu.

of beaches in and around the city.

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

there, the line was very, very long. It’s a big tourist spot. We moved on with our original plan to spend the day in Pioneer Square which was Seattle’s first downtown. You will see an area with character - lots of nineteenth century brick and stone buildings. You won’t find a shortage of things to keep you busy in this bustling district.

A visit to the Emerald City

By Rich Borell

About a month ago, my wife and I were thinking about a long August weekend. We’d already done an awesome road trip to South Dakota/Montana, so we thought this time we would maybe take a short flight. It didn’t take long for us to agree that we needed to go back to one of our favorite cities in the Northwest, Seattle Washington.

Thursday: Our flight from San Jose was a bit delayed, but we were still able to arrive in Seattle around 2PM. The only problem, was that with the flight delay we had to miss afternoon tea at the Fairmont – But no worries, we just did it another day.

We stayed at the beautiful Fairmont Olympic Hotel. It is a historic landmark and site of the original University of Washington.

After checking in we strolled down for a late lunch at the Crab Pot located along the waterfront. After lunch we walked along Pioneer Square and did some shopping.

In the evening, we attended a really cool dinner event. It’s a cirque comedy cabaret called Teatro Zinzanni. Along with a multicourse meal this is one of the most entertaining performances you will ever see. Everyone- including the wait-staff and audience are a part of the show. The price per-person can range anywhere from $99 to $174 and additions can be purchased the night of the show. . They also have a really great gift shop and old time bar. It was fun and well worth the price.

Friday: On Friday, I wanted to start my day at the very first Starbucks that opened in 1971 on Pike Street, but when we got

Most of the tourist attractions are within walking distance, so we walked to the Space Needle for dinner. The SkyCity Restaurant is located at the top of the Space Needle. If you ever want to dine there (and I do recommend you do) be sure to make prior reservations … they start taking them 3 months prior to your date. We had an awesome table, great service and excellent food. The restaurant rotates so you get excellent views of the city, waterways, landmarks and Mount Rainier. I had the wild salmon and my wife savored in the Prime Tenderloin. Thanks to Chef Jeff Maxfiled for a splendid dinner.

Saturday: Some of our highlights today included the famous Underground Tour. There’s a few different versions and since we hadn’t been in a while, we chose the history tour. Our guide was a very passionate and extremely detailed story teller. It was great walking the underground streets hearing stories of the past underground city.

We then walked back to our hotel and attended afternoon tea. This is one of my wife’s favorite things to do and I figured - if she was going to sit through a Mariners game with me on Sunday – that I’d have tea with her.

Well, what’s a trip to Seattle if you don’t ride the Duck Tour?

This is a combo land and water tour. Most likely your Captain will have a silly sense of humor and everyone on board will be blowing their quacker for the next 90 minutes. Highly recommended!

For dinner we went back to the waterfront to Ivar’s and had another great Wild Salmon dinner.

Sunday: Today we enjoyed a leisurely morning then went for a nice long walk to SAFECO Field to watch the Mariners take on the Chicago White Sox. It’s a pretty awesome stadium … the home team crowd was very pleased as the Mariners made a great comeback to win the game.

While walking back to our hotel, we remembered a great looking restaurant around the corner from the Fairmont called The Brooklyn Seafood Steak & Oyster House. They had availability and so we had another great dinner.

Next thing we knew – it was Monday and we had to go home. We had a great long weekend trip and love Seattle.

If you’re looking for a quick getaway, check out the Emerald City … it’s only a 2 hour flight from the bay area.

Cheers

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

there, the line was very, very long. It’s a big tourist spot. We moved on with our original plan to spend the day in Pioneer Square which was Seattle’s first downtown. You will see an area with character - lots of nineteenth century brick and stone buildings. You won’t find a shortage of things to keep you busy in this bustling district.

A visit to the Emerald City

By Rich Borell

About a month ago, my wife and I were thinking about a long August weekend. We’d already done an awesome road trip to South Dakota/Montana, so we thought this time we would maybe take a short flight. It didn’t take long for us to agree that we needed to go back to one of our favorite cities in the Northwest, Seattle Washington.

Thursday: Our flight from San Jose was a bit delayed, but we were still able to arrive in Seattle around 2PM. The only problem, was that with the flight delay we had to miss afternoon tea at the Fairmont – But no worries, we just did it another day.

We stayed at the beautiful Fairmont Olympic Hotel. It is a historic landmark and site of the original University of Washington.

After checking in we strolled down for a late lunch at the Crab Pot located along the waterfront. After lunch we walked along Pioneer Square and did some shopping.

In the evening, we attended a really cool dinner event. It’s a cirque comedy cabaret called Teatro Zinzanni. Along with a multicourse meal this is one of the most entertaining performances you will ever see. Everyone- including the wait-staff and audience are a part of the show. The price per-person can range anywhere from $99 to $174 and additions can be purchased the night of the show. . They also have a really great gift shop and old time bar. It was fun and well worth the price.

Friday: On Friday, I wanted to start my day at the very first Starbucks that opened in 1971 on Pike Street, but when we got

Most of the tourist attractions are within walking distance, so we walked to the Space Needle for dinner. The SkyCity Restaurant is located at the top of the Space Needle. If you ever want to dine there (and I do recommend you do) be sure to make prior reservations … they start taking them 3 months prior to your date. We had an awesome table, great service and excellent food. The restaurant rotates so you get excellent views of the city, waterways, landmarks and Mount Rainier. I had the wild salmon and my wife savored in the Prime Tenderloin. Thanks to Chef Jeff Maxfiled for a splendid dinner.

Saturday: Some of our highlights today included the famous Underground Tour. There’s a few different versions and since we hadn’t been in a while, we chose the history tour. Our guide was a very passionate and extremely detailed story teller. It was great walking the underground streets hearing stories of the past underground city.

We then walked back to our hotel and attended afternoon tea. This is one of my wife’s favorite things to do and I figured - if she was going to sit through a Mariners game with me on Sunday – that I’d have tea with her.

Well, what’s a trip to Seattle if you don’t ride the Duck Tour?

This is a combo land and water tour. Most likely your Captain will have a silly sense of humor and everyone on board will be blowing their quacker for the next 90 minutes. Highly recommended!

For dinner we went back to the waterfront to Ivar’s and had another great Wild Salmon dinner.

Sunday: Today we enjoyed a leisurely morning then went for a nice long walk to SAFECO Field to watch the Mariners take on the Chicago White Sox. It’s a pretty awesome stadium … the home team crowd was very pleased as the Mariners made a great comeback to win the game.

While walking back to our hotel, we remembered a great looking restaurant around the corner from the Fairmont called The Brooklyn Seafood Steak & Oyster House. They had availability and so we had another great dinner.

Next thing we knew – it was Monday and we had to go home. We had a great long weekend trip and love Seattle.

If you’re looking for a quick getaway, check out the Emerald City … it’s only a 2 hour flight from the bay area.

Cheers

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

The Presidio: It’s What’s Going On!

F

By Rich Borell

or many of us, the Presidio of San Francisco may only be 10-40 miles down the road.

Perhaps you drive through it from Lombard to get over the GG Bridge. However, ever since the Inn at the Presidio opened a few years back, my wife and I have spent a few weekends each year staying at this historic hotel … right in the middle of the Presidio of San Francisco.

This former military base has so much to offer - from its many hiking trails to enjoying the open space with your pet. This vast land has over 1,400 total acres and just under 1,000 acres of open space. If you’re looking for something to fill a day … or a weekend … or more, this vast open land sure has plenty to offer.

For you history buffs, you can check out over 400 historic buildings. A good place to start is the Presidio Officer’s Club. There, you will get a good

taste of history through multi-media exhibits.

One of our favorite pastimes is to hop on the PresidiGo Shuttle. One thing we really enjoy is seeing, and experiencing, the Presidio on foot.

Each time we stay, we explore a different route … our favorite is going down to Crissy Field – and observing the spectacular views of the bridge. You can feel free to get off the shuttle anytime, as it has 40 stops.

No matter what one’s age, one activity

WEEKEND GETAWAYS everyone would want to catch is The Walt Disney Family Museum. At the Disney Museum you will capture the true history and timeline of Walt Disney’s life and the Disney enterprise. I would suggest allowing at least four hours for this selfguided tour, as well as your hands-on experience with exhibits and taking in all the original artwork that’s there.

Wish you could stay here? Well, you can. You can keep the car parked and stay at the Inn at the Presidio. This Georgian Revival-style hotel, built in the early 1900’s, was once home for bachelor officers when the Presidio was a U.S. Army post.

Now you can stay here at this historic landmark.

When we stay, we always put a request in for a room on the third floor. From here you get incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge, also the fog rolling in and, on clear days, you can see many sailboats.

Each room is extremely spacious, offering Wi-Fi, flat panel screens and mini-fridges. For a bit more, I would suggest getting a suite on the third floor. This has a large sitting area and a gas fireplace.

The hotel offers an evening wine and cheese reception … usually there’s live music, as well. Or you can stroll outside with your wine and kick back on their outdoor deck that features a large fire pit with cozy rocking chairs. It’s truly delightful.

You’re also within walking distance to some nice restaurants on base. Recently opened is The Commissary, a new restaurant by the awardThe Inn at the Presidio

winning chef, Traci Des Jardins, featuring Spanishinfluenced California cuisine.

One of our favorite places to eat is the Presidio Social Club – which once was the home of the ex-military barracks. Inside the Presidio Officer’s Club, you can try out Arguello. This restaurant offers Mexican food with a contemporary bar.

If you still have a little time on your hands, there’s plenty more to do in the Presidio, such as: A beautiful stroll along Baker’s Beach … perhaps a round of golf at the Presidio Golf Course with its enchanted forest setting … and, yes, there’s even a bowling alley.

And think you might miss that latte or cappuccino at Starbucks? Not to worry, they have one of those, too.

People would love coming from all corners of the world to experience this, and do. A far away distant world that’s literally just a few minutes away. There’s the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow … for us, this is a gem at the foot of the Golden Gate.

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

town Palm Springs. The views and grounds are awesome of the Golf Resort, they have a large pool with two hot tubs. We were also able to enjoy a little tennis.

We had an early dinner reservation so we didn’t get too much activity in today. We did walk downtown and strolled the Palm Springs Walk of Stars … I heard that there are over 400 stars! Interesting and delightful to see and experience.

Palm Springs – Fun In The Desert Sun!

L

By Rich Borell

ooking to relax? Perhaps a nice getaway and some sun, some fun, some R&R? How about a nice quiet desert resort? Sounded great to us. Just 100 miles east of Los Angeles was our recent long weekend getaway destination … Palm Springs.

For this weekend destination we decided to do a road trip. Our journey started out early Friday morning with a quick cup for the road from Starbucks.

Along with its gift shop and Beef & Bakery store, it’s the best service along I-5 you can encounter.

Our first stop along the way was breakfast at the Harris Ranch, located in Coalinga, about two hours from Silicon Valley. If you’re traveling along Interstate 5, you may know the Harris Ranch is a welcome oasis for travelers.

After stopping off at a few rest stops to stretch a bit, our next encounter was going to be lunch. As we we’re driving, we saw a sign for a restaurant I didn’t even know still existed, so we pulled over and had lunch at Bob’s Big Boy... Yes, it was great to see them still around.

There are many amenities at this fine establishment including comfortable lodging, some of the best steaks you will ever enjoy, along with a café for that quick bite.

We arrived in the Palm Springs area around 2PM. Our stay for the next few nights was at the Desert Princess Inn. This Golf Resort is located about five miles from down-

If you’re in the Palm Springs area, then the Purple Room Restaurant & Stage is a must for dinner and a show. It all started in 1960 … The still popular venue is considered to be one of Palm Springs “Original“ Rat Pack Hangouts ... where Frank Sinatra would bring friends to Eat, Drink and Play.

Saturday morning we were up early to meet our group for the Desert Adventure Tour. This is an open Jeep tour that takes you along the San Andreas Fault. The tour was great and very informative.

You can experience the landscape of an active fault, walk between the steep canyon walls – we actually we’re able to have one foot on each of the two major plates in California. The tour took us through a natural Palm oasis. We also learned about the culture and lifestyle of the Cahuilla Indians and how they used the desert’s plants for food, medicine, tools, weapons, shelter and more.

Our tour was about three hours. We had lunch planned at the Peaks Restaurant, located on top of the San Jacinto Mountain, over 8,500 feet up. The aerial tram will take you up the mountain. The gondola floor rotates while ascending and descending so that everyone sees everything. Yes, this is a “must” if you’re in the Palm Springs area.

Ticket prices are reasonable if you only want to take the ride up for photos and get some great hiking in. There are a couple of cool trails anyone can enjoy, and also a couple of cafés that offer a different price range, being considerate of people’s budgets.

If you’re looking for entertainment in the evenings there certainly is no limit as to what’s available. You will find several high end Indian Casino Resorts close by. To fill our evening, we took in a few shows. At the Morongo Casino, we saw the very talented comedian, Lilly Tomlin. Saturday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort, we saw the very talented singer, Marie Osmond.

With many points of interest, the World’s largest rotating Aerial Tramcars, over 130 Hotels & Resorts, over 100 Restaurants and sunny days practically every day of the year … If you’re looking for a nice relaxing and fun getaway, plan on enjoying a nice weekend in sunny Palm Springs. We sure did.

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

town Palm Springs. The views and grounds are awesome of the Golf Resort, they have a large pool with two hot tubs. We were also able to enjoy a little tennis.

We had an early dinner reservation so we didn’t get too much activity in today. We did walk downtown and strolled the Palm Springs Walk of Stars … I heard that there are over 400 stars! Interesting and delightful to see and experience.

Palm Springs – Fun In The Desert Sun!

L

By Rich Borell

ooking to relax? Perhaps a nice getaway and some sun, some fun, some R&R? How about a nice quiet desert resort? Sounded great to us. Just 100 miles east of Los Angeles was our recent long weekend getaway destination … Palm Springs.

For this weekend destination we decided to do a road trip. Our journey started out early Friday morning with a quick cup for the road from Starbucks.

Along with its gift shop and Beef & Bakery store, it’s the best service along I-5 you can encounter.

Our first stop along the way was breakfast at the Harris Ranch, located in Coalinga, about two hours from Silicon Valley. If you’re traveling along Interstate 5, you may know the Harris Ranch is a welcome oasis for travelers.

After stopping off at a few rest stops to stretch a bit, our next encounter was going to be lunch. As we we’re driving, we saw a sign for a restaurant I didn’t even know still existed, so we pulled over and had lunch at Bob’s Big Boy... Yes, it was great to see them still around.

There are many amenities at this fine establishment including comfortable lodging, some of the best steaks you will ever enjoy, along with a café for that quick bite.

We arrived in the Palm Springs area around 2PM. Our stay for the next few nights was at the Desert Princess Inn. This Golf Resort is located about five miles from down-

If you’re in the Palm Springs area, then the Purple Room Restaurant & Stage is a must for dinner and a show. It all started in 1960 … The still popular venue is considered to be one of Palm Springs “Original“ Rat Pack Hangouts ... where Frank Sinatra would bring friends to Eat, Drink and Play.

Saturday morning we were up early to meet our group for the Desert Adventure Tour. This is an open Jeep tour that takes you along the San Andreas Fault. The tour was great and very informative.

You can experience the landscape of an active fault, walk between the steep canyon walls – we actually we’re able to have one foot on each of the two major plates in California. The tour took us through a natural Palm oasis. We also learned about the culture and lifestyle of the Cahuilla Indians and how they used the desert’s plants for food, medicine, tools, weapons, shelter and more.

Our tour was about three hours. We had lunch planned at the Peaks Restaurant, located on top of the San Jacinto Mountain, over 8,500 feet up. The aerial tram will take you up the mountain. The gondola floor rotates while ascending and descending so that everyone sees everything. Yes, this is a “must” if you’re in the Palm Springs area.

Ticket prices are reasonable if you only want to take the ride up for photos and get some great hiking in. There are a couple of cool trails anyone can enjoy, and also a couple of cafés that offer a different price range, being considerate of people’s budgets.

If you’re looking for entertainment in the evenings there certainly is no limit as to what’s available. You will find several high end Indian Casino Resorts close by. To fill our evening, we took in a few shows. At the Morongo Casino, we saw the very talented comedian, Lilly Tomlin. Saturday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort, we saw the very talented singer, Marie Osmond.

With many points of interest, the World’s largest rotating Aerial Tramcars, over 130 Hotels & Resorts, over 100 Restaurants and sunny days practically every day of the year … If you’re looking for a nice relaxing and fun getaway, plan on enjoying a nice weekend in sunny Palm Springs. We sure did.

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

A MEMORABLE WEEKEND TRIP TO JAMESTOWN AND YOSEMITE

By Rich Borell

Hello Everyone, I want to share with you a recent long weekend getaway my wife and I took. This road trip took us to the Gold Country, where we enjoyed fascinating historic Jamestown and the most breathtaking views of Yosemite National Park.

Our trip started out Friday around noon to beat the Bay Area getaway crowd. We had accommodations for Friday evening, just outside of Jamestown, at the Jackson

Rancheria Hotel & Casino. We really want to extend a warm thank you for a great room.

While driving up to Jackson, my wife always wanted to visit Daffodil Hill located in Volcano, CA, a few miles outside of Jackson. It’s the perfect time of year since all the daffodils are in full bloom. If you’re in the area traveling, this is a great place to get out and stretch and walk through the gorgeous gardens. You will see some rather loud and colorful peacocks, too, as you walk along the path.

WEEKEND GETAWAYS Daffodil Hill is open only in the spring, usually from the end of March through the first three weeks of April … best of all, admission and parking are free.

From there, we drove to the hotel to settle in for the evening, grab a bite; yes, pay our dues on the casino floor; and, of course, do some shopping in the gift shop.

Our Saturday morning started out with a quick bite in the café, and then it was on to the Gold Country. Our first stop was Angels Camp, also known as the City of Angels.

The story goes that Mark Twain based one of his short stories, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, from a story he had heard here in 1865.

Thus, a great reason to celebrate every year with the jumping Frog Jubilee each May at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds. Some say that Angels Camp other name is “Frog Town” – now you know why!

Angels Camp is a very historic town …

I’d suggest definitely stopping by the Angels Camp Museum to get the scoop on the town.

The hours are Thursday – Monday from 10AM – 4PM. From Angels Camp we drove to Jamestown.

This amazing town is filled with many historic homes and buildings near Main Street. The first gold here was discovered by Benjamin Wood, who had come from Oregon. The

crossing and also Woods Creek, which runs through Sonora and Jamestown, were named in honor of him. This was in the early summer of 1848; just a few months before, the famous gold discovery took place at Sutter’s Mill about 100 miles north, which started the Gold Rush. Jamestown is the home of the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park; and for you TV buffs, the TV shows, “The Wild Wild West” and “Green Acres”, were filmed in and near Jamestown.

If you visit the Gold Country, I’d definitely make time to visit Jamestown, park your car, step back in time and walk the street. I’d suggest dining at the Willow Steak House (established 1864), where the builders of the Sierra Railway once hung out in the bar. If you decide to stay in Jamestown, there are several historic hotels, including the Royal Carriage Inn, the National Hotel and the Jamestown Hotel.

After our stop in Jamestown, we continued for another hour’s drive to Yosemite National Park. There are several choices for lodging.

We decided to stay at the Yosemite Westgate Lodge. Normally, you would want to spend 3-4 days in the park; however, we didn’t have that much time. We did work in some of the most famous areas like Half Dome which is Yosemite’s most familiar rock formation. A “must” is getting a view from the viewpoint at Valley View; there, visitors can take in Yosemite Valley in its entirety. Clearly visible are the original lines formed by the glacier which carved out the valley. Of course, there’s Bridalveil Fall. It’s just a short hike on a paved trail and you’re right up to the front of the waterfall.

Another “must” is El Capitan – a giant granite rock that stands more than 3,000 feet from the base... a great thrill, I’m sure, for the rock climbers of the world.

The beauty of Yosemite is astonishing, whether you have a day or a week. One visit and you’ll gladly want to come back again and again!

WEEKEND GETAWAYS

WHAT HAPPENS IN

By Rich Borell

Hello Everyone, When we think about weekend getaways from the Bay Area, we may consider Monterey, Santa Cruz, Napa, Lake Tahoe … Ever think about parking the car and flying to Vegas?

That’s exactly what my wife and I did recently.

Our last trip there was very memorable since we spent New Year’s Eve celebrating with hundreds of thousands of people on the Las Vegas strip. This time we thought how fun to have a long weekend getaway there.

Our trip started out on a Friday late-morning flight via Virgin America out of SFO. Once we landed, you can feel the party starting … Indeed, this city radiates so much energy. Cab fares are posted so you will have an idea of what to pay.

With gratuity you can figure on $20, or a little more, for the fare.

Our stay was at Harrah’s Resort Hotel. They were very nice to work with, and we would like to thank them for the suite upgrade they gave us. We were early (about 3PM); yet, our room was ready and we could drop off our luggage.

We had a few hours before our 5:15PM dinner at The Strip Steakhouse located inside the Planet Hollywood. Dinner was early since my wife wanted to get some shopping time in at the Hard Rock Café prior to seeing the Kiss Concert at 8PM. For our short time before dinner, we strolled the mall next door to Planet Hollywood. The Strip Steakhouse is a chain; however, it’s a great place to eat with excellent service. I don’t usually eat red meat; however, tonight I had the urge to have a nice Rib Eye Steak. My wife had the Filet along with her two favorites, Lobster and Crab. If you have time for a long dinner, with the urge to

WEEKEND GETAWAYS be catered to, then this is the place to come. We also had the opportunity during dinner to chat with their Operations Manager and want to send a thank you to her. BTW, if you enjoy Ports, you may want to cruise their exclusive selection.

As I mentioned, the Kiss concert was at the Hard Rock Café - the band featured two of its original cast, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley – and they played to a delighted full house. If you have a chance to see them, they put on a great show.

On Saturday, we prepared a list of fun things we could choose from; however, since the weather was a sunny 70 degrees, we opted for a nice walk instead. Some suggestions of interest during the day might include: *An all-day visit to Area 51 *There are four thrill rides at the top of the Stratosphere Tower *At the New York New York you can hop on a 67 MPH rollercoaster *Drive a race car at Exotics Racing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway *Crime Solving at MGM’s Grand CSI – The Experience We spent some time at the Mirage at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, which defines wildness in a whole new way. You can also catch a glimpse of several white Tigers and

Lions along with the Dolphin Habitat. The shows were awesome!

Saturday, night we had two shows on tap, first, was a Murder Mystery Dinner put on by Marriage Can Be Murder. It was a great show and dinner was delicious. The cast of characters did a great job in getting the audience involved.

Our main show was at 10PM, at the Mirage, to see Ray Romano from the very popular TV Show, Everybody Loves Raymond. Kevin James opened the show, getting the audience involved, and was hilarious. Of course, Ray Ramano was himself, and everybody was in stiches. I’ve seen some great comedians, and I would put Ray high on my list as one of my favorites next to Jerry Seinfeld.

When he was closing the show and about to say good night, he said I have one more thing for you … He brought out Adam Sandler to sing a few songs. The lyrics we’re hilarious, so you guessed it, not your typical song to sing along to. After Adam played, Ray and Kevin came back out and, together, they did a Q&A with the audience. We also got to meet Ray’s twin sons, sitting near us in the audience.

So if you’re looking for a weekend getaway, and don’t want to drive, check out sin city! Yes, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas … except for the great experience of it all and good memories.

TR TIP

WHERE TO STAY AND WHAT TO DO

RIP PS

O, SEE AND EAT ACROSS THE GLOBE

A Lone Star Christmas!

By Rich Borell

C E O

&

F o u n d e r

B a y

A r e a

M a g s

Santa’s sleigh.

Experience the Frostbite Factory – an interactive ice carving station.

A full nativity scene in stunning, crystal clear ice Finally your experience concludes with a specialty alcoholic drink at the ICE BAR. Hello Everyone, A few months back my wife suggested we kick the holiday season off by traveling to a festive place in the U.S. After checking our list twice (maybe more) we decided on the Christmas capital of Texas … Grapevine.

Before I go on, as suggested in prior articles, when you have the opportunity to check in 24 hours in advance, I encourage you to look at the upgrades your airline may have available. For a mere $162.00 each we upgraded to first class seats with American Airlines.

Our flight was early afternoon the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day. Oddly, enough SJC airport travel was light.

Our accommodations were at the Marriott Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel. We only need to walk around this massive hotel to experience the magic of Christmas from around the world. Christmas displays that include more than 2

million twinkling lights and acres of larger-than-life decorations. There are many events going on daily and nightly at the hotel. This is great family fun, some that you may want to check out.

Our favorite attraction was ICE! featuring an all new theme … Christmas Around the World. You will truly experience the magic of Christmas around the World as you journey through colorful holiday displays. They bring in a crew from China to sculpt more than two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures.

As you journey through ICE some of the attractions include: Cultural traditions from around the world featuring holiday scenes and children from Mexico, Germany and other countries.

There’s a two-story tall ice slides, an enchanting Parade of Toys and larger-than-life ornaments.

How about traveling through the North Pole and sit inside

Along with the ICE attraction, there’s no shortage of family fun … some of the other daily events include: • Cookies & Milk with Mrs. Claus • The Elf on the Shelf® Scavenger Hunt • Gingerbread Decorating Corner • Santa’s Snowball Throwing Workshop • Friends of Rudolph Meet & Greet • Rudolph’s Holly Jolly™ Breakfast

torian Rail coaches. As the train departs and the anticipation of arriving at the North Pole builds, elves will welcome the guests and sing traditional Christmas music.

The town of Grapevine is filled with festive boutique shops and tasty restaurants. After strolling the shops, you can climb on board the North Pole Express train. I suggest making reservations to this popular event weeks in advance as- it’s the place to be - and many Texans travel with their families every year to climb on board.

Then, a magical moment! As the train draws closer to the North Pole, Mrs. Claus makes a special appearance to give each child a “We Believe” silver Santa bell. Guests then arrive at the North Pole and walk along a snowy Christmas tree trail, where, as they wait for an appearance by Santa, guests are entertained with songs and magical Christmas moments. Finally, Santa arrives! Santa wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and then shares his Frosty Chocolate Snow Milk served in a memory mug to all the boys and girls. Families will also receive a voucher for a complimentary Family Photo with Santa.

The experience begins at the Historic Cotton Belt Depot platform where riders board the beautifully decorated Vic-

It was a great trip with lots of fun in Grapevine a little town with a lot of holiday spirit!

One night for dinner we dined at the hotels Old Hickory Steakhouse. They offer quite a selection on their menu, with selections of Steak, Pork and Fish.

A Lone Star Christmas!

By Rich Borell

C E O

&

F o u n d e r

B a y

A r e a

M a g s

Santa’s sleigh.

Experience the Frostbite Factory – an interactive ice carving station.

A full nativity scene in stunning, crystal clear ice Finally your experience concludes with a specialty alcoholic drink at the ICE BAR. Hello Everyone, A few months back my wife suggested we kick the holiday season off by traveling to a festive place in the U.S. After checking our list twice (maybe more) we decided on the Christmas capital of Texas … Grapevine.

Before I go on, as suggested in prior articles, when you have the opportunity to check in 24 hours in advance, I encourage you to look at the upgrades your airline may have available. For a mere $162.00 each we upgraded to first class seats with American Airlines.

Our flight was early afternoon the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day. Oddly, enough SJC airport travel was light.

Our accommodations were at the Marriott Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel. We only need to walk around this massive hotel to experience the magic of Christmas from around the world. Christmas displays that include more than 2

million twinkling lights and acres of larger-than-life decorations. There are many events going on daily and nightly at the hotel. This is great family fun, some that you may want to check out.

Our favorite attraction was ICE! featuring an all new theme … Christmas Around the World. You will truly experience the magic of Christmas around the World as you journey through colorful holiday displays. They bring in a crew from China to sculpt more than two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures.

As you journey through ICE some of the attractions include: Cultural traditions from around the world featuring holiday scenes and children from Mexico, Germany and other countries.

There’s a two-story tall ice slides, an enchanting Parade of Toys and larger-than-life ornaments.

How about traveling through the North Pole and sit inside

Along with the ICE attraction, there’s no shortage of family fun … some of the other daily events include: • Cookies & Milk with Mrs. Claus • The Elf on the Shelf® Scavenger Hunt • Gingerbread Decorating Corner • Santa’s Snowball Throwing Workshop • Friends of Rudolph Meet & Greet • Rudolph’s Holly Jolly™ Breakfast

torian Rail coaches. As the train departs and the anticipation of arriving at the North Pole builds, elves will welcome the guests and sing traditional Christmas music.

The town of Grapevine is filled with festive boutique shops and tasty restaurants. After strolling the shops, you can climb on board the North Pole Express train. I suggest making reservations to this popular event weeks in advance as- it’s the place to be - and many Texans travel with their families every year to climb on board.

Then, a magical moment! As the train draws closer to the North Pole, Mrs. Claus makes a special appearance to give each child a “We Believe” silver Santa bell. Guests then arrive at the North Pole and walk along a snowy Christmas tree trail, where, as they wait for an appearance by Santa, guests are entertained with songs and magical Christmas moments. Finally, Santa arrives! Santa wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and then shares his Frosty Chocolate Snow Milk served in a memory mug to all the boys and girls. Families will also receive a voucher for a complimentary Family Photo with Santa.

The experience begins at the Historic Cotton Belt Depot platform where riders board the beautifully decorated Vic-

It was a great trip with lots of fun in Grapevine a little town with a lot of holiday spirit!

One night for dinner we dined at the hotels Old Hickory Steakhouse. They offer quite a selection on their menu, with selections of Steak, Pork and Fish.

nese-style Mandara Spa and the 24-hour Stellaris Casino.

Some of the restaurants on the Marriott property include: La Vista offering awesome Seafood themed buffets with both indoor and outdoor dining

Aruba …One Happy Island!

By Rich Borell CEO & Founder Bay Area Mags

Hello Everyone, I wanted to pass along a few tips if you’re thinking about visiting one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful and romantic islands ... Aruba.

If you’re willing to get off and on the plane a few times, we scored a great price with American Airlines flying first class the entire trip for just $1,500 each round trip. Plus it’s a breeze … less than three hours by air from Miami and with U.S. pre-clearance at the airport, the only Customs officer you’ll talk to on your way home is the one in Aruba.

If you’re going back and forth about which resort hotel to stay at I can definitely make a recommendation. The Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino is the ideal choice for the ultimate Aruba vacation.

Enjoy the exquisite hotel accommodations along with an

adult pool, and the exclusive Tradewinds Club - an upscale hotel-within-a-hotel concept - on the top floor of this Aruba resort.

At the Tradewinds Club guests that book these accommodations may indulge in upgraded amenities, five daily dining presentations in the private lounge, a member-only beach area, and also includes full access to the Tradewinds Concierge Service. This floor is exclusive to adults only.

The guest rooms in this Aruba Marriott beach resort are some of the most spacious on the island, each offering Marriott’s Revive bedding, contemporary bathrooms, 37” LCD flat-panel televisions and large, private balconies. This Palm Beach Aruba hotel offers premium amenities, including some of the finest restaurants in Aruba. Enjoy yourself at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, the Bali-

Ruth’s Chris Steak House of course with some of the best steaks, fresh seafood along with their assortment of classic desserts. Reservations are recommended … a bit pricey, but hey you’re on vacation.

It was one of our favorites!

Simply Fresh We had dinner here one night. They serve some of the finest mouthwatering seafood you will ever eat. A great candle light experience with your own private table on the beach.

Ketsu Sushi Bar Oh, did I eat my share of sashimi … open late until 11:30 Considered to be among the cleanest, broadest and most beautiful in the Caribbean region, Eagle Beach and Palm Beach are some of the best beaches in the world. Hint – if you want a cabana on the beach, you need to get up early to reserve.

Breathtaking diving can be enjoyed on Aruba, especially along its sheltered southwestern coastline. A large number of outstanding reefs are a great opportunity to explore magnificent coral formations while being surrounded by a large variety of tropical fish.

If you’re considering paying a bit more for some extra amenities and upgrades, do the math to figure out if the other perks are worth the extra cost. In the case of the upscale Aruba Marriott, upgrading to the Tradewinds Club is likely worth it — especially if you take full advantage of all of the included food and drink.

If you feel the need to go shopping … you’re in walking distance to the Palm Beach Plaza Mall.

I’d strongly recommend taking the Catamaran Excursion to

experience Aruba’s spectacular sunset aboard a luxury catamaran. Enjoy views of Palm Beach from the open water as you sip a cocktail and watch the stars come out. Relax as the friendly crew entertains you with local music, dancing and storytelling.

When planning your next beach vacation . . . and maybe you’re a bit tired of the Hawaiian Island … give Aruba some thought; Aruba has some of the best white sand beaches in the Caribbean along with great diving, some of the best tropical night life you can find anywhere … plus you can always count on sunny skies.

Aruba is an ideal destination because it is located in the Netherland Antilles outside the hurricane belt.

It’s no wonder car plates in Aruba display the slogan “One Happy Island”

nese-style Mandara Spa and the 24-hour Stellaris Casino.

Some of the restaurants on the Marriott property include: La Vista offering awesome Seafood themed buffets with both indoor and outdoor dining

Aruba …One Happy Island!

By Rich Borell CEO & Founder Bay Area Mags

Hello Everyone, I wanted to pass along a few tips if you’re thinking about visiting one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful and romantic islands ... Aruba.

If you’re willing to get off and on the plane a few times, we scored a great price with American Airlines flying first class the entire trip for just $1,500 each round trip. Plus it’s a breeze … less than three hours by air from Miami and with U.S. pre-clearance at the airport, the only Customs officer you’ll talk to on your way home is the one in Aruba.

If you’re going back and forth about which resort hotel to stay at I can definitely make a recommendation. The Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino is the ideal choice for the ultimate Aruba vacation.

Enjoy the exquisite hotel accommodations along with an

adult pool, and the exclusive Tradewinds Club - an upscale hotel-within-a-hotel concept - on the top floor of this Aruba resort.

At the Tradewinds Club guests that book these accommodations may indulge in upgraded amenities, five daily dining presentations in the private lounge, a member-only beach area, and also includes full access to the Tradewinds Concierge Service. This floor is exclusive to adults only.

The guest rooms in this Aruba Marriott beach resort are some of the most spacious on the island, each offering Marriott’s Revive bedding, contemporary bathrooms, 37” LCD flat-panel televisions and large, private balconies. This Palm Beach Aruba hotel offers premium amenities, including some of the finest restaurants in Aruba. Enjoy yourself at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, the Bali-

Ruth’s Chris Steak House of course with some of the best steaks, fresh seafood along with their assortment of classic desserts. Reservations are recommended … a bit pricey, but hey you’re on vacation.

It was one of our favorites!

Simply Fresh We had dinner here one night. They serve some of the finest mouthwatering seafood you will ever eat. A great candle light experience with your own private table on the beach.

Ketsu Sushi Bar Oh, did I eat my share of sashimi … open late until 11:30 Considered to be among the cleanest, broadest and most beautiful in the Caribbean region, Eagle Beach and Palm Beach are some of the best beaches in the world. Hint – if you want a cabana on the beach, you need to get up early to reserve.

Breathtaking diving can be enjoyed on Aruba, especially along its sheltered southwestern coastline. A large number of outstanding reefs are a great opportunity to explore magnificent coral formations while being surrounded by a large variety of tropical fish.

If you’re considering paying a bit more for some extra amenities and upgrades, do the math to figure out if the other perks are worth the extra cost. In the case of the upscale Aruba Marriott, upgrading to the Tradewinds Club is likely worth it — especially if you take full advantage of all of the included food and drink.

If you feel the need to go shopping … you’re in walking distance to the Palm Beach Plaza Mall.

I’d strongly recommend taking the Catamaran Excursion to

experience Aruba’s spectacular sunset aboard a luxury catamaran. Enjoy views of Palm Beach from the open water as you sip a cocktail and watch the stars come out. Relax as the friendly crew entertains you with local music, dancing and storytelling.

When planning your next beach vacation . . . and maybe you’re a bit tired of the Hawaiian Island … give Aruba some thought; Aruba has some of the best white sand beaches in the Caribbean along with great diving, some of the best tropical night life you can find anywhere … plus you can always count on sunny skies.

Aruba is an ideal destination because it is located in the Netherland Antilles outside the hurricane belt.

It’s no wonder car plates in Aruba display the slogan “One Happy Island”

The

MagniFIcent

Wild Wild West

SATURDAY: Today was pretty much a driving day, with our destination being the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. After a long day, it was nice to have waiting for us a gorgeous roomy room, and an excellent fine dining experience. Now I know why this resort has such a wonderful reputation.

BY RICH BORELL

Hello Everyone, Well, with summer here, my wife and I were giving some thought to our bucket list. Yes, we do have a joint one. It’s to visit 50 countries and 50 states. Happy to say, we’re doing a good job so far, as we’re over half way on both. So, we thought to ourselves, let’s add a few more states to our list.

We mapped out a pretty cool trip that I want to share with you in case you desire to see some of this beautiful countryside of our amazing nation. Our journey highlights will include: Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore.

Our itinerary will take us to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and South Dakota. Hold on … here we go!

Bear Country USA

FRIDAY: We started out with a 7AM flight from San Jose to Denver. We decided to go with Southwest Airlines.

They had the best schedule to get us there early. I had some business to take care of, so we needed to get there as soon as we could. Our flight arrived right on time. Avis was nice

Rockies were so far behind, we chose not to hang around for what seemed destined to be a lengthy rain delay. We headed back to the hotel … knowing we had a long drive ahead of us the next day … and a nice warm shower Old Faithful waiting for us before bed that night.

enough to upgrade us to a Mercedes E Class, which had navigation. After a brief meeting, my wife had us scheduled for a 2PM Tea at our hotel … The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa. I’ve had the pleasure of attending some tea functions with her in the past, I usually walk away hungry after eating bits and pieces of finger food. I will say this, however: this time The Brown Palace did an excellent job in filling me up with delicious finger foods and desserts. If you’re into being spoiled, you don’t want to miss this luxury hotel that comes with all the fixings like spa and salon and nice restaurants. You will want to check out The Brown Palace, conveniently located in downtown Denver. After our Tea, we strolled the 16th Street Mall for some delightful shopping.

This is when it got interesting. For our night time plans, we had great seats behind third base at Coors Field to see the Colorado Rockies play the Miami Marlins. At game time, the weather was picture perfect. By the 8th inning, the roar of thunder and hail came out of nowhere. From sunshine to being drenched … Fans in the upper deck were asked to vacate due to lightning. Unfortunately, the

SUNDAY: After breakfast at the hotel, we found a Starbucks … needed a good fix. Super, wherever we are. From there, we went to Teton Village to take the Tram. In no time, you will breeze up over 4,000 feet (actually just over 10 minutes) to the top of Rendezvous Mountain that stands over 10,000 feet. From there you can walk around and grab some awesome pictures. While up there I suggest you grab one of Mount Rushmore

their “Top of The World Waffles” - the scent alone will force you to eat one. Oh, did I mention, they also serve hot chocolate and Baileys … “yummy”!

We then drove for two hours to West Yellowstone, Montana.

We had plenty of daylight, so we paid a visit to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. While some may think it’s a zoo, it’s really animals who call the Discovery Center home due to injuries where they are incapable of living in the wild. We got to see birds like Bald & Golden Eagles and Peregrine Falcons. Of course, the Bears put on a great show. The guides at the Center are informative and will answer all your questions.

MONDAY: Today we had scheduled the “Lower Loop Tour” of Yellowstone National Park. One of the more popular tour guides is Buffalo Bus Touring Company. I was really impressed; our guide, Graham, was very informative; plus, the motor coach seated around 18 and was very comfortable. The tour isn’t inexpensive, but you will get a good 11 hours of education along with some fun humor. You can order a bag lunch or, as we decided to do, you can have a very nice lunch at The Village Lodge Mammoth.

The upper loop of the figure “8” circles Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower-Roosevelt and Canyon Junction and Norris Junction then back to Mammoth. It is roughly 70 miles in circumference. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is a must see. This is probably one of the most breathtaking sites in the entire park!

At the Lava Creek picnic area through the Blacktail ponds area watch for two large bull elk which are often seen in this stretch; many bison frequent this area, too. We also saw some coyote along the road.

We got back around 6ish, and based on a recommendation, we had a great dinner at the Madison Lounge. Fol-

The

MagniFIcent

Wild Wild West

SATURDAY: Today was pretty much a driving day, with our destination being the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. After a long day, it was nice to have waiting for us a gorgeous roomy room, and an excellent fine dining experience. Now I know why this resort has such a wonderful reputation.

BY RICH BORELL

Hello Everyone, Well, with summer here, my wife and I were giving some thought to our bucket list. Yes, we do have a joint one. It’s to visit 50 countries and 50 states. Happy to say, we’re doing a good job so far, as we’re over half way on both. So, we thought to ourselves, let’s add a few more states to our list.

We mapped out a pretty cool trip that I want to share with you in case you desire to see some of this beautiful countryside of our amazing nation. Our journey highlights will include: Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore.

Our itinerary will take us to Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and South Dakota. Hold on … here we go!

Bear Country USA

FRIDAY: We started out with a 7AM flight from San Jose to Denver. We decided to go with Southwest Airlines.

They had the best schedule to get us there early. I had some business to take care of, so we needed to get there as soon as we could. Our flight arrived right on time. Avis was nice

Rockies were so far behind, we chose not to hang around for what seemed destined to be a lengthy rain delay. We headed back to the hotel … knowing we had a long drive ahead of us the next day … and a nice warm shower Old Faithful waiting for us before bed that night.

enough to upgrade us to a Mercedes E Class, which had navigation. After a brief meeting, my wife had us scheduled for a 2PM Tea at our hotel … The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa. I’ve had the pleasure of attending some tea functions with her in the past, I usually walk away hungry after eating bits and pieces of finger food. I will say this, however: this time The Brown Palace did an excellent job in filling me up with delicious finger foods and desserts. If you’re into being spoiled, you don’t want to miss this luxury hotel that comes with all the fixings like spa and salon and nice restaurants. You will want to check out The Brown Palace, conveniently located in downtown Denver. After our Tea, we strolled the 16th Street Mall for some delightful shopping.

This is when it got interesting. For our night time plans, we had great seats behind third base at Coors Field to see the Colorado Rockies play the Miami Marlins. At game time, the weather was picture perfect. By the 8th inning, the roar of thunder and hail came out of nowhere. From sunshine to being drenched … Fans in the upper deck were asked to vacate due to lightning. Unfortunately, the

SUNDAY: After breakfast at the hotel, we found a Starbucks … needed a good fix. Super, wherever we are. From there, we went to Teton Village to take the Tram. In no time, you will breeze up over 4,000 feet (actually just over 10 minutes) to the top of Rendezvous Mountain that stands over 10,000 feet. From there you can walk around and grab some awesome pictures. While up there I suggest you grab one of Mount Rushmore

their “Top of The World Waffles” - the scent alone will force you to eat one. Oh, did I mention, they also serve hot chocolate and Baileys … “yummy”!

We then drove for two hours to West Yellowstone, Montana.

We had plenty of daylight, so we paid a visit to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. While some may think it’s a zoo, it’s really animals who call the Discovery Center home due to injuries where they are incapable of living in the wild. We got to see birds like Bald & Golden Eagles and Peregrine Falcons. Of course, the Bears put on a great show. The guides at the Center are informative and will answer all your questions.

MONDAY: Today we had scheduled the “Lower Loop Tour” of Yellowstone National Park. One of the more popular tour guides is Buffalo Bus Touring Company. I was really impressed; our guide, Graham, was very informative; plus, the motor coach seated around 18 and was very comfortable. The tour isn’t inexpensive, but you will get a good 11 hours of education along with some fun humor. You can order a bag lunch or, as we decided to do, you can have a very nice lunch at The Village Lodge Mammoth.

The upper loop of the figure “8” circles Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower-Roosevelt and Canyon Junction and Norris Junction then back to Mammoth. It is roughly 70 miles in circumference. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is a must see. This is probably one of the most breathtaking sites in the entire park!

At the Lava Creek picnic area through the Blacktail ponds area watch for two large bull elk which are often seen in this stretch; many bison frequent this area, too. We also saw some coyote along the road.

We got back around 6ish, and based on a recommendation, we had a great dinner at the Madison Lounge. Fol-

Grand Canyon

Yellowstone

Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota

lowing dinner, we still had some time, so we went and saw “Yellowstone” which was playing at the IMAX Theatre.

While in Yellowstone, we stayed at the Yellowstone Lodge, which is a few miles from the gate to the National Park.

We pulled in at the perfect time as a Ranger was about to give a 30 minute lecture on what happened that day in the field. Along with the monuments, you will see the gravesites of the soldiers who died on the battlefield.

TUESDAY: Today, we decided to drive the “Lower Loop” of the park.

We were able to get into some areas that the tour bus couldn’t. The Lower Loop is the more popular loop as it has the bulk of Yellowstone’s thermal features … Old Faithful being one of them … as hundreds of people gather around to watch.

We pulled in around 5:30PM at the Holiday Inn Suites & Gold Dust Casino. Once you make your way through the casino, and take the elevator up to the Hotel Lobby, it’s like stepping into another world. We didn’t expect the hotel to be so elegant. We reserved a suite that had a bar and kitchen. If I ever get lost and end up in Deadwood, South Dakota … I’ll be staying here again.

Some other areas of interest you won’t want to miss along the loop include: Firehole Canyon Drive, Fountain Paint Pots and the Lower Geyser Basin, Firehole Lake Drive and Midway Geyser Basin.

THURSDAY: Today, we spent some time in downtown Deadwood. We also took in some local sites in Deadwood that included the following: Adams House Museum: The memorabilia here has been very well preserved. Lots of history in this old Victorian house.

Mount Moriah Cemetery: About 100 yards from the opening you will find the burial place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock and other notable figures of the Wild West.

Be sure to check out the Old Faithful Inn Resort, as well … there are great restaurants in the area.

Wednesday: Today, we’ll be doing a good share of driving … and we’ll end up in Deadwood, South Dakota. We decided on this route because we wanted to stop off and visit the Battlefield National Monument. This, of course, is where the Battle of the Little Bighorn took place … also commonly referred to as Custer’s Last Stand.

For lunch, we ate at a local restaurant owned by actor Kevin Costner called The Midnight Star. The food was excellent … if you can get in, I highly recommend it.

After spending most of the day in Deadwood, our journey continued to Rapid City, South Dakota, and the Marriott.

FRIDAY: Today, we set out about 20 miles from our hotel to see a site my wife has been wanting to see for quite some time … Mount Rushmore. It is such a beautiful site. Rangers are there to answer your questions, you won’t have a problem getting a good picture, as well. There is a little bit of a wait to get into the park. While there, you can enjoy checking out a film on the history of the monument, along with visiting the museum and gift shop. We had lunch in the town, just outside the park, called Keystone. I highly recommend eating at the Powder House & Lodge.

We also took a visit to Bear Country USA. Here, you will drive (with your windows up) through a park with roam-

Elk

ing bears close by. The drive will take about 45 minutes, and I predict you will get some awesome looking photos, right from your car. While there in the park, you may also see: Artic Wolf, Buffalo, Coyote, Elk, Grizzly and Black Bear, Mountain Lions, to mention a few. They boast around 20 species. The larger species roam freely throughout 250 acres of the drive-thru park.

SATURDAY: Today, we start out on our final road trip, driving back to Denver. We took, however, a small detour to stop in at the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota. Many mammoth remains, preserved in an old sinkhole, are shown off at this museum and research center.

Originally a sinkhole that trapped a lot of mammoths (and other animals) over the years, it is now one of the best excavation sites of mammoth remains on display.

Here we are, back on Southwest Airlines once again, heading home, looking back, our journey now behind us. Our trip was more than beautiful and fun, exciting and safe. It could not have been nicer.

If you’re planning to see some of the Western States, yes, the magnificent Wild Wild West, it’s a great experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. There are indeed many awesome reasons why I believe you and everyone else would, too.

Until next time …

Grand Canyon

Yellowstone

Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota

lowing dinner, we still had some time, so we went and saw “Yellowstone” which was playing at the IMAX Theatre.

While in Yellowstone, we stayed at the Yellowstone Lodge, which is a few miles from the gate to the National Park.

We pulled in at the perfect time as a Ranger was about to give a 30 minute lecture on what happened that day in the field. Along with the monuments, you will see the gravesites of the soldiers who died on the battlefield.

TUESDAY: Today, we decided to drive the “Lower Loop” of the park.

We were able to get into some areas that the tour bus couldn’t. The Lower Loop is the more popular loop as it has the bulk of Yellowstone’s thermal features … Old Faithful being one of them … as hundreds of people gather around to watch.

We pulled in around 5:30PM at the Holiday Inn Suites & Gold Dust Casino. Once you make your way through the casino, and take the elevator up to the Hotel Lobby, it’s like stepping into another world. We didn’t expect the hotel to be so elegant. We reserved a suite that had a bar and kitchen. If I ever get lost and end up in Deadwood, South Dakota … I’ll be staying here again.

Some other areas of interest you won’t want to miss along the loop include: Firehole Canyon Drive, Fountain Paint Pots and the Lower Geyser Basin, Firehole Lake Drive and Midway Geyser Basin.

THURSDAY: Today, we spent some time in downtown Deadwood. We also took in some local sites in Deadwood that included the following: Adams House Museum: The memorabilia here has been very well preserved. Lots of history in this old Victorian house.

Mount Moriah Cemetery: About 100 yards from the opening you will find the burial place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock and other notable figures of the Wild West.

Be sure to check out the Old Faithful Inn Resort, as well … there are great restaurants in the area.

Wednesday: Today, we’ll be doing a good share of driving … and we’ll end up in Deadwood, South Dakota. We decided on this route because we wanted to stop off and visit the Battlefield National Monument. This, of course, is where the Battle of the Little Bighorn took place … also commonly referred to as Custer’s Last Stand.

For lunch, we ate at a local restaurant owned by actor Kevin Costner called The Midnight Star. The food was excellent … if you can get in, I highly recommend it.

After spending most of the day in Deadwood, our journey continued to Rapid City, South Dakota, and the Marriott.

FRIDAY: Today, we set out about 20 miles from our hotel to see a site my wife has been wanting to see for quite some time … Mount Rushmore. It is such a beautiful site. Rangers are there to answer your questions, you won’t have a problem getting a good picture, as well. There is a little bit of a wait to get into the park. While there, you can enjoy checking out a film on the history of the monument, along with visiting the museum and gift shop. We had lunch in the town, just outside the park, called Keystone. I highly recommend eating at the Powder House & Lodge.

We also took a visit to Bear Country USA. Here, you will drive (with your windows up) through a park with roam-

Elk

ing bears close by. The drive will take about 45 minutes, and I predict you will get some awesome looking photos, right from your car. While there in the park, you may also see: Artic Wolf, Buffalo, Coyote, Elk, Grizzly and Black Bear, Mountain Lions, to mention a few. They boast around 20 species. The larger species roam freely throughout 250 acres of the drive-thru park.

SATURDAY: Today, we start out on our final road trip, driving back to Denver. We took, however, a small detour to stop in at the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, South Dakota. Many mammoth remains, preserved in an old sinkhole, are shown off at this museum and research center.

Originally a sinkhole that trapped a lot of mammoths (and other animals) over the years, it is now one of the best excavation sites of mammoth remains on display.

Here we are, back on Southwest Airlines once again, heading home, looking back, our journey now behind us. Our trip was more than beautiful and fun, exciting and safe. It could not have been nicer.

If you’re planning to see some of the Western States, yes, the magnificent Wild Wild West, it’s a great experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. There are indeed many awesome reasons why I believe you and everyone else would, too.

Until next time …

Forever Delightful CHRISTMAS IN LONDON … AND PARIS, TOO!

By Rich Borell

Hello Everyone, Ever think about having a jolly holiday in London, England one of the most beautiful cites during Christmas time? We have … we just did it … and we loved it!

Our trip starts Saturday, December 20th. It’s going to be a pretty quick turnaround trip; just a week, which will also include a night in Paris.

We’ll be flying out of the Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport. We had already upgraded our tickets, but decided we wanted to live a little and had them upgraded yet again. This time, into business class.

Booking through American Airlines directly, we were fortunate. It was a great price, only $499 per ticket.

For those of you who travel a few times a year, here’s a suggestion. Ever thought about getting approved by TSA? Yes, you need to fill out an application and have a personal interview (and write a check). But it was a pleasure.

You might think it’s worth it the first time you show your credentials … and are nicely directed through a separate line. This time, there’s nothing to take off … shoes, belt, etc. Plus, instead of waiting in the lines, we were promptly on board and on our merry way.

Saturday: We had a 12:55PM flight from San Jose to Dallas that was late in taking off. The pilot fortunately was able to make good timing. When we arrived in Dallas, there was still a plane at our gate. We waited for 10 minutes, and then they found us another gate so that we could de-plane. The only problem, though, there was no outside agent to assist, so we sat still yet for another 10 minutes. Some people were going to miss their connecting flights. We were very fortunate … we had another hour-plus as our flight to London was delayed.

On board once again, we fastened our seat belts - the champagne has been poured – and we toasted our trip ahead … on to London!

Sunday: We arrived in London about an hour late, which was fine. We didn’t have a lot planned other than getting on the

city tour bus. For our trip, we would be staying at the Marriott London Square, right near the world famous London Eye. This is our favorite place to stay when we visit London, one of our favorite cities in the world.

Here’s a few stops you may want to visit while on the city tour.

• St. Paul’s Cathedral • The world-famous London Bridge • London’s number one attraction “The London Eye” • Buckingham Palace • Big Ben • Westminster Abbey • The Tower Bridge Monday: Today started with a complimentary breakfast at our hotel. We had a few hours before our tour was to begin, so we took a long walk along the River Thames enjoying some really beautiful sites.

The holiday season is certainly in full swing as all the vendors were getting set up for the day.

Today we had an afternoon tour planned at the Warner’s Studio where the blockbuster film Harry Potter was filmed. If you’re a Potter fan, as we are, this is a must when in the London area.

The team behind the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter wanted to preserve and showcase these iconic props, costumes and sets so that Harry Potter fans could experience the magic of filmmaking first-hand.

Many of the original cast and crew returned to reassemble the sets and recorded their memories from filming, and on March 31st, 2012, the Studio

Tour opened its doors.

After a greeting in the Grand Hall, you have a self-guided tour seeing all of the sets and original outfits worn. On the set adjacent to the working film studios, where all eight Harry Potter films were made, the studio tour offers visitors the unique opportunity to explore two soundstages and a backlot filled with original sets, animatronic creatures and breath-taking special effects.

Here’s an interesting tidbit - The film studio where the Harry Potter film series was filmed was originally an old aircraft factory and runway where planes such as Mosquitos and Halifax Bombers were manufactured.

Tuesday: Today we again start with breakfast at the hotel. We’ve set up for an 8.30AM taxi pick-up to take us to the train station for our 10:25AM departure to Paris. A brief note about the taxi system in London: It seems only 30 percent accept credit cards … so, be sure to inquire when making your reservation … and have some cash (pounds) on you.

It was a quick two hour journey through the English Tunnel to Paris. For those of you who may not like the thought of taking a train underwater, rest assured, it goes pretty fast. The tunnel at its lowest point is 250 feet deep and it only takes about twenty minutes from end to end. Also, the good news is, they don’t even announce that you’re going through it.

We arrived in Paris around 2PM. Our accommodations were at the Paris Marriott Opera Ambassador Hotel. We didn’t have a lot of time today, so we strolled the Avenue des ChampsElysees, which is one of the main shopping streets in Paris. On one end of the street, it offers a nice view of the Arc de Triomphe; and, on the other end, it offers a nice view of the Place de La Concorde.

This evening we had tickets to see the world famous cabaret Moulin Rouge.

I assure you, visiting Paris can only be complete if you see a performance at the Moulin Rouge. The cabaret is spectacular - with excellent dancers in an array of stunning outfits. There are two shows offered - One which includes dinner & champagne (which I would recommend) and another show excluding dinner. Tickets can be

expensive based on your seats … but most tickets do include a nice bottle of Champagne.

Wednesday: Today we started out with a short walk to Starbucks for a lite breakfast. We had a private tour planned today to drive us through Paris. Although we’ve been to Paris previously, we wanted to capture more of the city. In our last trip we didn’t have time to visit the Pere Lachaise, which is the largest cemetery in Paris and is actually located right in the middle of the city. Although there are many famous people interred at this cemetery, the reason for our visit was to view Jim Morrison’s gravesite. We understood that there may be large crowds and also the site is regularly guarded; however, this day was neither.

Our tour lasted about four hours with our driver taking us to the train station for our trip back to London.

For some other site-seeing recommendations while in Paris, I can recommend the following: • The Louvre (I strongly recommend purchasing Fast Track tickets – lines can be rather long) • Versailles • Dinner at the Eiffel Tower • Notre Dame de Paris • Champs-Elysees • Disneyland Paris Thursday: For Christmas Day we had a 10 hour walking tour scheduled to start at 6AM. We arranged this several months in advance with our guide, Peter Berthoud. Peter is an excellent guideknowledgeable, perceptive and amusing. We met sharply at 6AM near the London Eye, along with 30 other people, who were also brave enough to get up this early morning in 35 degree weather … and it wasn’t going to get much warmer as the day progressed.

After meeting with Peter and his assistant, Lindsey, everyone was given a bag with lots of

Jane Seymour. The castle is usually closed for tours on the weekend since that is when the Royal Family stays.

Salisbury: Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England, and the only city within the county. This is definitely a “countryside” city that has much history.

goodies to munch on during our tour.

Despite the frigid cold weather, we really enjoyed it and found out lots of interesting facts and saw lots of interesting hidden bits of Soho and Picadilly. We also visited other interesting areas which we never would have known about.

This is definitely the best time to see London; there were empty streets, it was if we had the city to ourselves. We found out things that you would never discover in a guide book. Peter has a very good knowledge of London. We saw many interesting historical sites, plus having all these tidbits being thrown in. We also enjoyed making a few stops at some nice coffee shops, that were thankfully open on Christmas Day, as well as having a delightful lunch at a local pub.

Friday: Today we had an all day tour that would take us to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Salisbury and Bath. We were picked up at our hotel promptly at 8AM for our journey to our first stop … Windsor Castle.

Windsor Castle: Built high above the River Thames, Windsor Castle has been the home to the Royal Family for the past 900 years and is still the official residence of the Queen. You will enjoy strolling through the castle grounds and the fourteenth century St. George’s Chapel, the burial place of kings and queens, including Henry VIII and his third wife,

Stonehenge: Clouded in mystery, this ancient stone circle is the most pre-historic site in England. Going beyond its archaeological and even astronomical role, it’s a place of spiritual importance as early legends link it with Merlin and King Arthur, as it’s still one of Europe’s best known pre-historic monuments around. The stones are surrounded by several hundred burial mounds.

They have recently opened a fabulous, worldclass Visitor Centre that includes a museum with extraordinary exhibitions, along with a spacious shop and café.

Our tour included lunch at the Antrobus Arms Hotel located a few miles from Stonehenge.

This is a gorgeous boutique hotel featuring 20 individually styled en-suite rooms, one of which is the Beatles Suite, where the Fab 4 stayed while filming “Help” on Salisbury Plain.

Bath: The final stop of the tour is the beautiful Georgian City of Bath. We had a walking tour of some of the finest architectural sights in Europe including Bath Abbey, the Royal Crecent, the Circus, Assembly Rooms and the famous Pulteney Bridge. These Roman Baths, built around thermal springs, have been supplying water for over 2,000 years.

Saturday: Well, today it’s back home with a flight to Dallas and then our connecting flight to the Bay Area, getting us in around 11PM. Spending the holiday in London, and Paris, was everything we thought it would be. Beautiful, interesting and most enjoyable. It was indeed delightful. Stay tuned as we look forward to sharing more trip tips with you during the New Year!

Scandinavian Splendor & Many Memorable Smiles

By Rich Borell

G

reetings Everyone! I want to share with you our recent trip to Scandinavia that included stops in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. This trip actually came together just a few weeks before we left. We had tickets to fly into Copenhagen, then on to Finland. From that point, we were going to take the train and spend most of our time in Russia. We had our Russian Visa and were ready to go. Unfortunately, due to the most recent events, we were advised not to go. I want to thank our tour guide in Moscow for all he did and we look forward in seeing him on a future trip to Russia.

So, if you are considering a venture to Northern Europe, we certainly found it to be such a beautiful region. We loved all the natural scenery and European sights and, yes, the delicious food, too … and, what was extra nice, the people were always very friendly and hospitable.

Even though the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish languages are known as Scandinavian languages, you can be well-assured most everyone understands and speaks English. You should travel with a money converter, and if you carry an iPhone, you already have the app. Contrary to popular belief, not all countries have converted to the Euro. Finland has; however, the other three countries have not. You will need to convert your USD in Denmark to Danish Kroner, in Sweden to Swedish Kronor and in Norway to Norwegian

Kroner.

I also want to mention something about using your credit card. First, you should check with your credit card company to see if you have a foreign transaction fee. Indeed, it can add up. I can recommend Capital One Visa, as they currently don’t charge a fee. Since 2013, the EU went to a chip card and the US has not quite adapted to that as yet. Most businesses will accept your credit card; however, you need to let them know it’s a signature card … meaning you will need to sign.

Most will ask you for a PIN based on this chip …

I believe we will have new credit cards with chips sometime in 2015.

Here are some ideas from our itinerary:

Friday: First of all, we would like to thank Frank & Teri over at Wireless Rides for the limo service up to SFO. Our trip began on Friday with a relatively short, very nice three-and-a-half hour flight to Chicago O’Hare. Once there, we enjoyed a brief hour-plus layover. From Chicago, our transfer flight was with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), which departed on time. We had upgraded our seats and really enjoyed the plenty of extra leg room we had for the eight hour flight to Copenhagen.

Saturday: We arrived in Copenhagen early afternoon the following day on Saturday. We took some time and strolled the Copenhagen Town Mall. From there, we enjoyed walking to Nyhavn, the popular 17th century waterfront, canal and entertainment district, and then shopping along the long streets of Stroget, experiencing this pleasant traffic free district. We stopped for a bite to eat at the Hard Rock Café, and along the way, we enjoyed some more shopping. Next, we went to the Visitor’s Center for some helpful info that would fill our day for tomorrow. Of course, we were on the prowl for our first local Starbucks … you will find a new one that recently opened at the train station.

Our first night was at a boutique hotel … the Grand Hotel Copenhagen … in a nice city central location.

Sunday: Up early, we strolled back to Starbucks. We didn’t have a lot of time today, as most of our time in Copenhagen was reserved for when we would return towards the end of our trip. Today, we would have a 3:30PM flight to Helsinki, Finland, so we took advantage of our great location and enjoyed walking around.

Our flight to Helsinki was short. We grabbed a cab (you will get a cab inside of the airport), which was approximately 30 Euros to our hotel.

We stayed at Hotel Kamp, the only 5-star hotel in Finland. By the time we got in, it was time to find a place for a relaxing dinner. We didn’t have to go far, just outside of our hotel and about 100 yards to our left was an amazing restaurant called Kappeli. We had a fabulous two hour dinner … my only advice is that this may not be the place if you’re traveling on a budget. It boasted a great menu that included something for everyone … even that something special, if you wanted to try a plate of Reindeer. I went with their fresh Salmon, my wife enjoyed her Chicken mushroom and

stew dinner. For dessert, we had the traditional Blueberry cake and ice cream … everything was delicious.

Since it was Sunday, most retail businesses were closed; however, we did come across the Helsinki Hard Rock Café and were able to enjoy doing some shopping there.

Monday: Today, we started out with breakfast at the hotel and then took a nice walk through the city square in Helsinki. There was some light rain in the morning that later broke way for blue skies and sunshine.

Our tour took us to some cool places... while in Helsinki, you may want to visit a few of these spots: Olympic Stadium (site of the 1956 Summer Olympic Games) Sibelius Monument Nature History Museum Parliament House (the guards are very friendly and not camera shy) Uspenski Cathedral Tuesday: Today is another travel day, so we enjoyed

Helsinki, Finland

strolling the very popular Stockmann’s, the largest department store in Finland and all Scandinavia.

We had lunch back at our Hotel Camp … I’d highly recommend the Salmon Soup, and also a few other favorites, which were the Shrimp Sandwich and Club with Fried Egg. From our hotel, it was a 15-minute walk to the Viking Cruise Line Terminal. First stop was our Bon Voyage Picture, then going on board for our overnight cruise to Stockholm, Sweden.

For an overnight cruise, the ship had everything you could ask for … There were several restaurants, bars, casinos, theatre, a kid’s game room, live shows and much more. I had another fabulous Salmon dinner. We enjoyed a stunning sunset, the weather was perfect.

Our ship, the Marella, was filled with such the warm friendly staff. One red flag, going back to the credit card pin number situation, the ship is a stickler on the pin number. Good news, they do offer currency exchange, so as always, carry some cash with you.

During the night, the seas did get a bit choppy.

I’d suggest getting a room in the middle and upper floor.

Wednesday: Our ship arrived at 10:30AM, there were plenty of taxi’s at the terminal to take you to your hotel.

Even though we arrived several hours before check in, our room was ready. We stayed at the “First Hotels” centrally located on the waterfront in old town. Our room had a large window with great views of the pier area and amusement park.

We took a walk around old town, which looked a bit like Venice, once you’re away from the water. We stopped and had lunch at Sally’s. Service was a bit slow, they may not be used to the American’s fast pace. We had an authentic Swedish Shrimp plate with fish eggs.

After lunch, we bought our ticket and went on the “Hop on Bus” tour which will take you throughout Stockholm for two hours.

Stockholm, Sweden After our delightful city tour, Grenka, a chic hotel, comparable to the W Hotel in we put in another couple of hours San Francisco. on foot, enjoying going through the shops of old town. We wound our day down with a drink at our Friday & Saturday: hotel bar before turning in.

We started the day with what was a great buffet breakfast at our hotel. Our hotel was nice; however, Thursday: our room was very small. So first thing this mornWe started our day with Breakfast at our Hotel. ing, we checked out and went over to the Grand We had purchased a two-day pass on the tour bus, so we got back on. While in Stockholm, you might Deluxe Suite Hotel. The price went up, up, up … but was well worth it. want to check out a few of these sights: While in Oslo, we dined at Café Christiania a Vasa Museum few times, delicious seafood soup. If you’re into Drottningholm Palace Abba – The Museum (everyone on our tour real- Starbucks, like us, you will find plenty of them around Oslo. ly enjoyed this stop) Nordic Museum Oslo is a great city … it is very clean, which we Museum of Medieval (one of our favorites) enjoyed, also such friendly people. If you make it Rosersberg Palace up to Viking country, I can highly suggest stopping Skyview off at a few of these sights: Viking Ship Museum After our tour, our stay in Stockholm wouldn’t Akershus Fortress (a must see) be complete without another round of shopping Nobel Peace Center (where the Nobel Peace and grabbing a bite at the Stockholm Hard Rock Prize is given) Café. Next up would be our flight to Oslo, Norway.

Royal Palace We arrived in Oslo around 8PM. It was a long University Botanical Garden day, so we chose to take a taxi to our hotel. City Oslo Tramway Museum center is a bit distant from the airport, so expect a hefty cab fare... like $240 USD. Our hotel was the First Hotel Grims

Oslo, Norway

Sunday: Our day started with breakfast at our hotel. We then walked to the train station... Remember when I mentioned it was a $240 USD cab fare before?

For both of us to take the train, it was only $29.00 USD … Yes, for both of us! Norway is a beautiful country; however, it’s one of the most expensive.

Today, we flew back to Copenhagen, just a brisk 55-minute flight. We checked in at the Palace Hotel.

We took a short walk over to the Visitors Bureau to book our tour which we planned for the next day.

After that, we had a long leisurely dinner at the delightful restaurant, Il Petal.

Monday: Today, our day started early with breakfast at our hotel. Then off for our Grand Day Trip, which will take until early evening. Our tour stared with our guide Andersen picking us up near the hotel.

Our tour was with four other couples … Andersen was a very thorough guide and spoke English very well.

Our tour for the day included:

Roskilde Cathedral (the astonishing church with burial places of no less than 39 kings and queens) Kronborg Castle (an impressive fortification that guarded the entrance to the Baltic Sea for six centuries, and is where Shakespeare’s Hamlet lived) Frederiksborg Palace (this is the largest and most beautiful renaissance castle in Scandinavia) Viking Ship Museum (modern rebuilt models and excavated original ships from the time when the Vikings conquered much of Western Europe and ruled the North Atlantic) Tuesday: Our last full day was jammed to get in as much as we could. So our day started with breakfast, a quick bite at Starbucks. From there, we joined the Copenhagen Walking Tour, which would be for three hours. Some of our stops along the tour included: Copenhagen Town Hall Tivoli Gardens Danish Royal Palace Hans Christen Andersen Danish Parliament

Academy of Fine Arts Stroget Shopping Mile After our tour, we got back on the “Hop on Bus”.

While in Copenhagen, below are some places you might want to put on your list: Statens Museum for Kunst National Museum of Denmark Copenhagen Opera House Museum Erotica Royal Danish Playhouse We finished our day with what was again a delicious meal, this time at the Restaurant Barock in Copenhagen.

Wednesday: Today’s our day to return home, we admitted we were very much ready to get back. Our non-stop flight was from Copenhagen back to SFO. Our flight was perfect and again we arrived on time. SAS is a great airline to fly, excellent on time schedule and with very courteous attendants.

As always, I suggest paying to upgrade your seating, if you can, it makes a world of difference. Again, a big thank you to Wireless Rides for warmly welcoming us on time at the airport and taking us home.

Scandinavian Splendor … & Many Memorable Smiles, indeed. It was such a great trip and such a wonderful time. We enjoyed sharing it with you.

Until next time …

Copenhagen, Denmark

Europe’s LOW COUNTRY

HIGHLIGHTS

The triumphal arch at the Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels.

Story by Rich Borell, CEO & Founder

Hello Everyone, I want to share with you my itinerary from my recent trip to Europe. It was a whirlwind trip traveling to Belgium, Luxembourg, Amsterdam along with Hamburg and Berlin Germany.

We booked our trip 6 weeks in advance using European Destinations Travel Agency. They had a very good website to navigate hotel upgrades and get enough info to plan our trip. We also spoke with one of their senior travel agents to put the final touches with private drivers to pick us up as we arrived in each of our destinations. What we like about them is they are available 24/7 which was a plus for us.

Our trip started early on a Wednesday, with our flight originating from San Jose, our first plane change was in Denver, from Denver we flew to Chicago, then Chicago to Brussels. We had an uneventful flight, taking United Airlines along with their Star Partners. We arrived on time in Brussels the next day at 9:20AM. While in Chicago we checked in with United’s customer service and was able to purchase and upgrade for a modest fee for the long flight to Brussels … very cool.

Thursday: We had a nice driver waiting for us –the drive to our hotel was about 45 minutes. We stayed at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels; a luxury hotel that was once a Palace. The staff at the Metropole were very welcoming, the hotel is in a good location close to major shopping areas, the rooms are good size and very clean.

After lunch we took the hop on hop off bus to get acquainted with the city. Every two years the Grand Place comes alive in Brussels with a stunning flower carpet of begonias. They say there are over 100 volunteers and over a million begonias. This event brings out the locals and is a hot tourist spot.

For dinner we wandered around and checked out various menu’s and ended up at nice local restaurant, we took a table outside so we could

The Atomium, Brussels

do some people watching. I started out with a standard in Brussels, a bucket of mussels and Salmon. Our waitress spoke excellent English who lived in L.A. for a number of years. For dessert, of course, we shared a Belgium Waffle.

Friday: Our day started with breakfast which was included at the hotel. We started out getting back on the hop on trolley with our first destination being the Atomium, which was the main pavilion and icon of the 1958 World Fair.

Representing an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times; The Atomium offers the only true 360° panoramic view of the 19 municipalities. The whole thing is made up of 9 spheres (one at each of the 8 points and one in the middle) connected by 20 tubes

(12 cube edges plus 2 tubes for the 4 diagonals): the structure rests on 3 pillars (or bipods).

After lunch we walked down to a park located at the foot of the Atomium called “Mini - Europe” Mini-Europe is the only park where you can have a whistle-stop tour around Europe in a few short hours.

A truly unique voyage! Stroll amid the typical ambiance of the most beautiful towns of the Old Continent. While there you can enjoy some great shopping to bring home.

For dinner we decided to check out the all new Hard Rock Café located in the Grand Place. The menu is complete with all your favorites like New York Steak, Twisted Mac, and Chicken & Anne Frank House Museum, Amsterdam Cheese to one of my stand by favorites, Grilled Salmon.

While there, you can enjoy an upscale Flea Market where everyone brought some great rock memorabilia with some pieces their treasures out to sell; it was interesting so from John Lennon, The Sex Pistols, Jimi Hendrix we spent a few hours browsing around. We also and Elvis Presley. bought a pass for the hop on hop off to get a feel of the area. We had a 5:30PM flight out to Saturday: Amsterdam with a brief layover in Munich. Our Our day started out with breakfast at the hotel travel agent suggested flying as opposed to the train before our train to Luxemburg. Our train arrived on to save time, however it would have been nice to time; our driver met us and drove us to the Le Royal see more of the country.

Resort Hotel. Our room was ready; the heat wave Our flight arrived on time around 10Pm we had we left in the U.S. has certainly followed us to Europe. a friendly driver pick us up; our drive was about Luxemburg was pretty warm, in the high 80’s.

30 minutes from the airport. Our driver gave us The hotel is ideally located, if you want to the low down on Amsterdam. We arrived at our walk around downtown to enjoy Plaza D’Armas, hotel around 11PM; fortunately, there were a few shopping on the upscale stores, sightseeing or for upgrades available so for our two nights we were eating at the numerous restaurants in the area. The able to get a nice room. breakfast buffet offers a great variety of choices of While in Amsterdam we stayed at the Convent fruits, cereals and breads etc.

Amsterdam Hotel in one of their suites which Le Royal Hotel comes with a five star Spa if provided ample space and comfort. The room was you’re looking for a great place to relax. There’s very quiet with a view of the street. The staff was also a pool and sauna along with a fitness room. very friendly and polite … nothing was too much Things to check out while in Luxembourg include: trouble. The hotel is centrally located with access to Cathedral Notre-Dame all the major sites and all forms of transport.

William Square Palace of the Grand Dukes Monday: St. Michaels Church Our day started out with breakfast at a nearby Starbucks, and a short walk where we stood in a Sunday: long line to get into the Anne Frank Museum. The We did a lot of walking today, they actually had museum opens at 9AM, if you get there around

8:30 the line goes pretty fast, again, even at 8:30 the line was quite long. If you remember the story of Anne Frank, you will enjoy the museum as there’s a large TV screen in most rooms that offers a narrative of the events.

On display at the museum is the Academy Award Shelley Winters won and later donated to the mueum for her character performance of Petronella van Daan in the Diary of Anne Frank. You can see the award as it’s displayed in a bullet-proof glass case in the museum.

After Anne Franks we found a quiet place for breakfast. After breakfast we – yes found the hop on hop off bus, bought a ticket and journeyed to the Van Gogh Museum.

This museum boasts the world’s largest collection of Vincent Van Gogh which features over 200 paintings and several hundred drawings. If you happen to be there on the weekends, it can get crowded.

Virtually across the street from the Hard Rock was the Heineken Museum. This was a cool attraction and a must see while in Amsterdam.

You get to know everything there is about the history of the Heineken family, how they brew and of course the best part, sampling. It’s about a 90 minute tour from start to end, lots of interactive activities. You also get a couple of drinks included with the price of your ticket.

During the evening after dinner we took in a guided tour of the Red Light District. We had a great time; all I will say is that the Red Light District of Amsterdam leaves nothing to the imagination.

and gives you a great feel of the city, you will stroll through some of the bombed out locations during the WW2. Steve was our tour guide, great personality and very informative. Here are a few places you may want to check out depending upon how much time you have in the area: Emigration Museum Warehouse District St. Michaelis Church Planten un Blomen (beautiful botanical garden) In case you got to Hamburg after Amsterdam and need another fix, there is a Red Light District in Hamburg.

While in Hamburg we stayed at the Marriott City Center. This is a great location as you’re only a few minutes’ walk to shops and some nice restaurants.

The rooms are above average on size, plenty of amenities.

For dinner we ate at the Restaurant Franziskaner. If you’re looking for delicious Bavarian Food, this is the place. The owner was real cool, spoke great English. The waitress thought there was a problem since we hardly touched our food, but it was just that the portions were too much for us. Maybe, we were also a little full from enjoying some shots of Schnapps?

Tuesday: Once again, our day started out at Starbucks, we had until around 2PM in Amsterdam before we took a flight to Hamburg Germany. We did some shopping and finished at one of the “coolest” attractions in Amsterdam.

For around 20 Euros you get to put on a large heavy coat and gloves to step into an ice freezing room with a bar and musical video. The price also includes a free shot of something that was pretty good. Did I mention your seat for the video is an ice block.

Our flight to Hamburg left on time; we had a brief layover in Copenhagen Denmark and enjoyed a nice dinner at the airport.

Thursday & Friday: Today we took the Ice Train which is the best way to travel; the trains are fast and comfortable.

Our trip to Berlin would be a pleasant two hours.

My only recommendation would be that they should have the stops also in English to alter tourists of their destination arrival.

Our driver was on time, met us at the deck and drove us to the Ritz Carlton where we will be spending the final nights of our trip. If you want to travel and really feel pampered trust me, the Ritz Carlton is the way to go.

While in Berlin, you will want to check out and get some pictures at Check Point Charlie. This was the famous crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. You will also want to check out the Berlin Wall Memorial. The memorial contains the last piece of Berlin Wall with the preserved grounds behind it and is thus able to convey an impression of how the border fortifications developed until the end of the 1980s.

Wednesday: Today, the heat wave finally left and it cooled down with a light rain as we did the “Great Walking Tour” in Hamburg. By the way this is a free offered

by Sandeman Tours. The tour is just over 2 hours

Saturday: Like all vacations, this one was coming to an end. We have a 7:45AM flight from Berlin to Frankfurt, with a short layover then non-stop to Denver and finally back in the Bay Area.

p i r T a s y a w l A the Ages 5 for

NO MATTER WHAT AGE YOU ARE!

Story by Rich Borell, CEO & Founder

R

ecently, my wife and I decided to take a trip to Orlando, Florida, over the summer. We planned to spend a few days at each attraction: The Walt Disney World, Epcot Center, Universal Studios, Animal Kingdom, Disney Studios and Downtown Disney. We also included a day tour to the Kennedy Space Center.

We planned our stay at the Waldorf Astoria for the week. Both the Waldorf and the Hilton Orlando are connected with a world-class convention center, creating a hip oasis in the middle of Orlando’s Theme Park magic. Truly convenient, the hotels are located inside the Disneyworld gates.

The name Waldorf Astoria is synonymous with luxury. If you have ever stayed at the Waldorf in New York, you will see that this Orlando property nicely brings together that New York style with the ever-delightful Floridian charm.

Whether you stay there, or not, I encourage you to dine at its legendary restaurant, Bull & Bear. This restaurant is definitely the area’s most popular go-to restaurant when it comes to fine dining. Along with this fabulous restaurant, be sure to also check out the spa, awardwinning designed golf course, state-of-the-art workout center … and our favorite: your own chic private cabana with a personal server.

Before I go any further, I want to wholeheartedly thank the management for their wonderful hospitality. Here’s the scoop on what I highly recommend: be sure to buy a planning app before you even arrive in Orlando to help you map out your day(s). Indeed, it’s well worthwhile.

Then, you can use the app on your phone, update wait times, re-optimize your schedule, etc. By having a plan, we were able to see every single attraction, including parades and fireworks. The longest we ever waited was 20 minutes. This was in the middle of the summer during peak days.

Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando.

The Magic Kingdom is a great place. This is a good combination of rides and, of course, you have to ride the coasters. The Castle draws everyone’s attention – this is where they play shows with all the characters. Space Mountain is where you must go first. Get yourself a fast pass early before the lines are long.

One of the four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, offers a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood-style action with live shows, thrilling attractions, backstage tours and star-studded

special events. Feel like the star in your own movie as you romp through the streets and sections of the park that blend together like a large, bustling movie set.

Immerse yourself in the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood heydays from the 1930s and 1940s, captured by the neon, chrome, art deco and modern architecture. Step into the action with exhilarating attractions and experiences inspired by television and silver screen favorites. Go center stage and into the spotlight with the American Idol Experience, stunt shows and more. Collect autographs and pose for photos at special events.

Another cool ride is the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow and, of course, the Rock n Roller Roller Coaster staring one of my favorites – Aerosmith. When it comes to rides, be sure to check out The Great Movie Ride, the 18-minute tour of some of Hollywood’s most famous films.

Then there’s the 50’s Prime Time Café, which is located at the Disney Hollywood Studios. Bring your appetite and your sense of humor. The theme is Mom’s kitchen circa 1955. There are TV’s throughout the restaurant showing black and white sitcoms, from “Father Knows Best” to the original “Mickey Mouse Club”. You can’t help but smile when you see these blasts from the past.

Everyone is “family”. Your server will introduce you to your “cousins” while giving you warnings to keep your elbows off the table and remind you to eat your vegetables. It’s all in good fun and adds to the unique experience.

There are a lot of 50’s knick-knacks and the dessert menu is on a View master!

For people who have never been here before and who love animals, this is an ultimate great place to visit. We loved the safari ride and the different animals from all around the world that they had. The only downside is that it’s so far away from all the other parks. However, this park is still worth checking out, if you are here.

Disney gives you a unique look at nature and animals through Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Enjoy yourself and take your time in the Animal Kingdom. If you have time to spend extra days at any of the parks, I would recommend doing

The Waldorf Astoria and Hilton Orlando are connected with a world-class convention center.

this park and the Magic Kingdom for more than one day. I would recommend going to the park early or late afternoon. If you are staying at a resort, take advantage of “Extra Magic Hours.”

When you enter the Animal Kingdom, you will walk through what is called “The Oasis”, with animal exhibits, exotic plants, jungle habitat etc.- all of which is really cool. This park is divided into five parts: Discovery Island, Camp Minnie, Camp Mickey, Africa and Rafiki’s Planet.

Outside of the Animal Kingdom, I can recommend the Rainforest Café. Dinner was great; so, too, was the service. It was impeccable and you can also get in some shopping.

This park is fun and there is a lot to do. You can visit the world in less than a day … and the fireworks at night are amazing. From the food to the gift shops, you will have a blast. We were on the go all day and crammed just about everything in! The Future World was great, a few nice little attractions there. I really enjoyed the greenhouse … which is about one living with the land. I had read about ‘Soarin’ and was eager to see what this was. It was excellent.

The more popular rides, such as Soarin and Test Track, have long waits. It would be a good idea to get a fast pass for these, unless you don’t mind waiting an hour or more.

Epcot Center, the world showcase, was

brilliant! It was much better than what I thought it would be. It’s very well done. We really enjoyed going from place to place, different attractions from around the world.

There are different shows going on during the day that are very interesting.

The fireworks/ lights illumination, which start around 9pm, were truly amazing! It’s very well done. We also had a wonderful time eating at Les Chefs de France. Of course, always remember to make a reservation here 2-3 months before you go. But, hey, it’s in Disney, what can you expect? This is one of Epcot’s overlooked gems. Many of the tables overlook the ‘streets’ of France and give you a bird’s eye view of the comings and goings while you enjoy your delicious meal. The tables are covered in crisp white linens, the interior is light and airy and the service is always top notch.

I’m going to first talk about the ambiance. It really does make you feel like you’re dining at some French bistro in Paris. The wait staff is from France, with the accent, and they would speak with you in fluent French if you were to ask them to. When we first arrived, our server brought us French baguettes, and it was really good. Indeed, it was warm, crisp, but soft and fluffy inside. Then I ordered the Salmon dish (with red pepper sauce and chive mashed potato) - it was delicious. The fish was cooked to perfection … I was a real big fan of sauce. It had this light, tangy and tomato-based taste to it and it complemented everything very well.

After being out in the heat and crowds for a few hours, this restaurant in the French section of Epcot was a welcome respite. We were seated promptly, and the service was spot on from the moment we arrived throughout. We could not have enjoyed this experience more.

Downtown Disney, originally the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort. This 120 acre shopping, dining, and entertainment complex is loaded with great things to do, and consume, if you’d like to spend a day away from the parks.

Parking is free here.

Downtown Disney is awesome. This place

is what I call a mall outside. It has shopping, dining, and attractions - and you can spend a day here by itself. You must stop here even if you are not going to Disney. There are shows and many places to eat. My favorite part besides the giant pin trader’s tent was the candy store. Who doesn’t love candy? You must stop by Downtown Disney.

There are three main areas here.

Marketplace (East Side), Pleasure Island and West Side. Market Place (or East Side), Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop, Planet Hollywood - Reservations are highly recommended.

Rides are totally awesome. Shopping and food and beverage are nice. Rides not to miss: Harry Potter’s Forbidden Journey, Spider-Man, Poseidon, Popeye (water ride), and Simpson’s.

I’m not into roller coaster rides, but they have several. Also most rides are 4D with special effects … and you also get sprayed with water.

What an amazing park; from the moment you drive up to the park, you tingle, Rip ride rock it (AMAZING), Shrek, Mummy Returns, Simpsons are all great, but TRANSFORMERS is awesome (as the Americans would say), great shows throughout the day, must stay for the show at night - my advice buy a unlimited fast pass for both parks. If you are disciplined, you will ride them all over and over.

The Kennedy Space Center is a must-see attraction if you are visiting the Orlando area.

It’s about a two hour drive. We were very fortune to attend a lecture by Astronaut Sam Durrance, who flew on many Space Shuttle missions.

There are two museums there - including one that houses the actual Atlantis that went to space - with lots of information to educate you on the space program. There are two IMAX movies that will take you back into history. Be sure to make the Atlantis exhibition part of your plans.

The gift shop will have a lot of cool stuff – plus, lots of good places to eat. I also want to extend my thanks to the management at the Kennedy Space Center for making our visit such an enjoyable and memorable one.

SPOTLIGHT ON TRAVEL

r o d n e l p S & y t u a e B The that is Old Europe Prague

WHERE SIGHTSEEING IS A MAJESTIC WALTZ

By Rich Borell Hello Everyone, I wanted to share some of our recent adventures as my wife and I enjoyed what was a wonderful visit to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria.

If you are planning a visit to Prague, Bratislava or Budapest you can definitely cover a lot by walking. Vienna is a larger city, so you will need other forms of transportation to get around.

buildings. We continually caught ourselves saying to each other: “check out that building!”, because everywhere we looked, everything was so unique. The city was like an architectural museum, very much older Europe.

Here’s a brief list of some places you want to be sure to see while in Prague: • Charles Bridge • Prague Castle • Old Town Square • Church of St. Nicholas • Stalin Monument

Prague Let’s start with Prague. As we walked around (and I DO mean WALKED … yes, about 7miles per day) you will be mesmerized by historic

The heart of Prague, Old Town, is filled with many houses, churches and other structures dating back to the 13th century. When visiting, be sure to include the Old Town Hall

and Astronomical Clock, the Carolinum, the Municipal House and the Estates Theater.

Located in the center of Prague is a vibrant square surrounded by baroque buildings, lively cafes, street entertainers and craftspeople.

Situated at the Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral is the most important and largest church in Prague. The cathedral is the burial place of the former Czech kings and a home of the Czech Crown Jewels. You definitely want to include this stop when planning your itinerary.

Connecting the Old Town with Lesser Town, this popular pedestrian bridge is filled with musicians, painters, vendors and tourists during the summertime. Here you will be able to take some great pictures.

Once the initial charm of Prague has sunk in –I encourage you to take a trip to the Castle District and be even more amazed with some awesome sights.

This fairy tale castle on a hill overlooking the Vltava River is the most popular sight in the city, reflecting the city’s “Bohemian Baroque” architecture. The seat of Czech rulers for

Bratislava

1,000 years, today it houses the office of the President. Contained within the castle walls are three courtyards, beautiful gardens, shops, and restaurants. St. Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic landmark of the city since 926, that has always been the center of Prague’s religious and political life, is in this giant castle.

Bratislava Next we took the train to Bratislava, Slovakia.

I suggest purchasing a first-class ticket; it’s more comfortable and less crowded for your four hour journey. The first-class ticket will also get you access to the business lounge where you can relax and enjoy complimentary beverages and snacks before you depart. You will also be able to get assistance taking you to your train and loading your luggage up. Keep in mind … not a lot of English is spoken in these parts.

Here’s a brief list of some places you want to be sure to see while in Bratislava: • Bratislava Castle • Michael’s Gate • Primate’s Palace

Budapest

Old Town, Bratislava, was a delightful surprise to both of us … lots of shops, museums to see. One item I suggest seeing is the St. James Chapel. It’s the oldest sacral medieval structure in Bratislava. Be sure to take a walk downstairs.

A must-see on your trip is the Bratislava Castle. The castle was originally built as a frontier post for the Roman Empire; a later version was built by King Sigismund in the 15th century.

This castle burnt down in 1811, leaving only ruins … and it took until 1956-68 for the castle to be rebuilt to its current format. The castle is located on a hill overlooking the River Danube, the southern-most hill of the Small Carpathian Mountains. There are two ways to walk up to the castle - up Beblaveho Street from the Old Town or from Mudronova Street by the Slovak Parliament building up at the hill. You will find a museum along with a restaurant that has a full service bar. Weather permitting, I suggest eating outside and enjoying the beautiful views of the Danube.

Budapest Our next train ride was just a little over two

hours and took us to the brightest jewel on the Danube: Budapest, Hungary. Budapest was created in 1873 from the separate towns of Buda, Pest and Obuda. Its population of two million resides in 23 districts.

Here’s a brief list of some places you want to be sure to see while in Budapest: • Buda Castle • Chain Bridge • Hungarian Parliament Building • St. Stephen’s Basilica • House of Terror We both felt Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities we have ever seen. Since we have traveled through Europe extensively, that says a lot. Between the view from Fisherman’s Bastion, the Matthais Coronation Church and the nighttime view of the five lighted bridges and Parliament Building, it’s a must tour … and, if you have time in the evening, so, too, is a cruise along the Danube a must.

We were very impressed with Budapest being the largest city and capital of Hungary. It’s clean, feels safe and it’s also very easy to get around by foot … and, best of all, the people of Budapest

speak good English. The cost of eating out is look into when planning your trip to Eastern inexpensive, with lots of options. There are also Europe. many Hungarian wines and beers to choose from.

Mamaison Suite Palace Hotel Prague: Vienna The hotel is clean and the hotel staff Our final two hour train ride took us to extremely polite and helpful. They were able to Vienna, Austria. The historic center of Vienna is help us with all our queries concerning tours and rich in beautiful architecture, including Baroque restaurants … and recommendations made by castles and gardens, as well as the late-19ththem all turned out fantastic for us. century Ringstrasse, that is lined with grand You can book your tours through them; buildings, monuments and parks. however, keep in mind they will charge, I believe, Here’s a brief list of some places you want to a 10% add-on fee; however, well worth it. be sure to see while in Vienna: You are within three minutes of walking and • Schonbrunn Palace being at the Charles Bridge.

• Hofburg Palace Choose a large or junior suite on the upper • St. Stephen’s Cathedral floors so you can have a great view of the river.

• Millennium Tower • Historic Center of Vienna Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, Bratislava: Nice hotel located in Old Town. Pleasant staff, The most important fine arts museum in very good breakfast. Good views, you can see Vienna is the Kunsthistorisches Museum. It is not only the Hviezdoslav Square, but also the one of the most impressive museum buildings of Castle. the 19th century. The architects were Gottfried The old city center is a one minute walk Semper and Carl von Hasenauer and it opened away. The River Danube is two minutes away. in 1891. The museum shows the art collection of Overall the hotel has a welcoming and warm the Habsburg Dynasty, collected over centuries. atmosphere. Staff is happy to help, and most On the stairway going to the second floor is the speak very good English. Rooms are spacious sculpted group of Canova, Theseus Slaying the and clean.

Minotaur.

The number one tourist attraction of Vienna Marriott Budapest: is St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom), This property is beautifully located on the located at Stephansplatz, and is the most Danube - has the best staff and just the best important Catholic Church in Vienna. It has attention to detail. We were very impressed. a multi-colored tile roof with a diamond Rooms are typical Marriott, perhaps slightly pattern and two tall towers which are the most more spacious than in the average property. If recognizable symbols of the city. you qualify for the executive lounge, this is an If visiting museums is at the top of your list, excellent amenity. Not only is the view great you won’t be disappointed in Vienna. but breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres were I will briefly mention, if you do decide to visit ample and of a good variety. the Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp, it’s about an hour train ride outside of Vienna … be Marriott Vienna: sure to schedule a private tour. Not much English The staff at the hotel was all very helpful and is spoken in this town. the rooms were comfortable and clean as you A word regarding currency: Austria and would expect.

Slovakia use Euro’s; however, the Czech Republic The hotel has a great location, within walking has their own called Czech Koruna, and Hungary distance to all of the major sites and near two uses the Hungarian Forint. Don’t worry, it’s metro stops. not that confusing, and if you have an iPhone, The breakfast was good, a big spread with there’s an app that does everything for you. fantastic quality.

Before I wrap this up, I wanted to suggest If it sounds like a delightful trip, it was. a few hotel accommodations you may want to Until next time … Bon Voyage!

TRAVEL TIPS FROM THE U.S. & AROUND THE W ORLD!