Travel Maven

The spire of Strasbourg Cathedral. I am told you can see it from as far away as the Black Forest.

Strasbourg; summer seat of the European Parliament and manic tourist destination. I have had Strasbourg on my list of places to go for some time, and this seemed the time to do it. So here I am, sitting in the lovely Hotel Rohan a literal stone’s throw from the Cathedral.

Things started out a little rocky, and that will be tale for another time, but fortunately once I got myself sorted I was under the spell of this beautiful place.

Strasbourg Cathedral

First off, there is this ginormous, gorgeous, amazing cathedral. Of course, because we are in France, it is called the Notre Dame de Strasbourg; or if you prefer Strasbourg Minster.

Sweeping arches are topped with cherubs who look down on the masses. The stained glass windows are over the top, as is the huge pipe organ and the towering altar. This place was built to be impressive, to remind you that you are here by the grace of God and we all had better get that now.

Two things truly struck me. The first is that the Catholics really do get stage setting. I mean, wow; there is the elevated and ornate pulpit that meant the priest was literally looming over you. The altar itself is an imposing as well, up a set of wide stone stairs, and reaching back to where a large gold cross sits directly below an ancient stained glass window.

The second is the light in this place. All that stained glass dances colors everywhere when the sun hits them. The cathedral is built of red stone from the nearby Vosges Mountains, and the colored light hitting it seems to highlight different aspects. A green light lands upon the pulpit, red, blue and yellows pop up when you least expect it.

I found myself getting emotional just being inside the place. Maybe it is the beauty of it, maybe I am thinking of those I love who will never see this place but would have loved it. I don’t know why I was so moved, but I know that I was.

La Petite France

One of the most well-known parts of Strasbourg is La Petite France. This is a little jewel box of a an area; really the heart of the tourist center. The area is full of beautiful French styled buildings; square, stone affairs with wrought iron balcony railings that are usually overflowing with flowers.

Roads wind and turn with no real plan except to go over there, and often I found myself in dead ends or ducking up narrow alleys. That’s just fine with me, I love that feeling of exploration.

Down one alley I passed an exquisite patisserie with stacks of brightly colored macaroons, beautiful tarts with glistening mounds of fruit, and a variety of Alsatian pastries including the brioche based Kougelhopf that I have learned can be either sweet or savory; and of course the ubiquitous pretzel!

Around another corner I find a shop selling Alsatian themed pottery. Still another turn and I am in front of a bookseller. It is a fine way to waste a morning, this wandering.

Strasbourg Pizza

Alsatian food is a wonderful thing. Pretzels are Alsatian and served with pretty much every meal. There is knack, the meaty sausage which is named for the sound it makes when you eat it. You see it advertised proudly on menu boards outside Winestubs. Food and wine are terribly important here.

Win a smile from your waiter by asking for an Alsatian wine to go with your meal. Tonight I will head out to sample a local dish – the Tarte Flambe or Flammekueche. This oddly named dish is basically Alsatian pizza. A thin bread crust covered with a cream sauce, onions, and lardons and baked in a wood oven. I will most likely have it with a nice Alsatian Riesling, the dry and minerally white wine produced along the Rhine.

Strasbourg is awash in restaurants, the traditional dark winestubs, the up and coming restaurants that proudly name the chef de cuisine on a brass plaque by the front doors, the ones with tables that spill out into the squares or crows the side streets. Food is a blend of hearty German cooking and French flair. At lunch I had a delicate chicken cooked in mushroom cream sauce; very French. The chef paired it with a hearty dish of potatoes fried in bacon fat and it worked perfectly.

Germany and France

Strasbourg sits on the border. The Rhine divides the city from Kehl across the way. This area was part of one country or the other over the centuries and it is reflected in everything.

Half timbered buildings sit next to French stone. Street signs are in French and German. Most everyone here speaks both languages, I find (and are quite adept at English!). An old boss of mine referred to a region of Italy at the base of the Alps as “Swissaly” because of how much influence Switzerland had on the area.

Strasbourg would then be what – Grance? Fremany? I think I will go with Grance, as it sounds a bit like “Grace.” Graceful is a good word to describe Strasbourg. The old town melds gracefully with a vibrant university and the aforementioned European Parliament. The Cathedral gracefully anchors the town (it is the 6th tallest church in the world)and the region.

I am so glad I came. Now – off to find that Tarte Flambe!

I need some castles, some stunning vistas, some new adventures. I need a vacation!

Vacation. I do love to harp about how we all need one on a regular basis to keep ourselves not just productive, but sane. Do I practice what I preach – not always! I need a vacation right now. Thus I get on a plane this Saturday and step off in Frankfurt early Sunday morning.

Let me say it again – I need a vacation. I need this vacation like I have rarely needed one in my life. It is past time to get out of Dodge. Strasbourg, Frankfurt and, well, somewhere else in that region – here I come!

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

My past year has been stressful and crazy. In the last six months alone, my father died, there was a ton of work stress, some family drama, a bout with the flu, more family drama, trying to start a business, and oh, yes – family drama.

Which just means my life has been a lot like everyone else’s. We over-commit and over-promise and deal with the dramas (good and bad) that having a family inevitably brings. All of it seems doable on a daily basis until suddenly, it is just overwhelming.

Vacation gets us back on track; a little time away, a little distance for perspective. This is more than just sleeping to noon every day, moving to the couch and watching TV for the next 6 hours, then shambling back to bed. I mean, sure, there are times that is about all we can muster; but a true vacation should take you away from everything.

Vacation, Had to Get Away

When I leave my house, my city, my country; I leave all the contingencies that come with that package. You must change your surroundings to truly change your perspective. For me, that means going somewhere new. I must physically go somewhere else, preferably off the continent, definitely out of the country.

I am a different person on vacation, more aware, more in-the-moment, more in my own skin. The distraction of new places and different languages is life affirming for me. Our brains cry out for this sort of change, we need that distraction to recharge.

I am at my most productive, most engaged and most creative after I have had a real vacation. I am not talking about the three or four day weekend – but the true, 8-15 day away from home sort of vacation. My head is clearer, the drama is less dramatic, and I am more relaxed.

Vacation, Meant to be Spent Alone

(Okay, yes, that is the Go-Go’s spinning about in your head, but it fits!).

Solo travel – solo vacation – is my preferred method. This truly is just for me, I don’t want anyone to feel they must travel solo. I love it. A goodly amount of my day to day is about compromise and negotiation. There are contracts to haggle over, there are compromises on time and commitments and who needs what when. Even the very act of getting lunch turns into a mediation session.

Traveling solo means that the only person you have to haggle with is yourself. How easy is that? My vacation isn’t spent trying to find some happy medium that usually isn’t all that happy. There is no one to be irritated because I said I would go to that museum, but now I don’t feel like it. If I decide that I would rather go to this place rather than that one, there is no argument.

A solo vacation is also a great way to meet new people. Some of my best memories of past trips are of the folks I have met along the way.

Getting Up and Going

So, yeah, take that vacation. I know it can feel overwhelming to even think about planning a trip, but you will be so glad you did. For this trip, the hardest part was just getting it all started! Honestly, the very thought of getting the ticket booked was exhausting.

Once I finally got it booked, I started feeling the enthusiasm and excitement. Sure, I am still agonizing over hotels, but I have the first five days taken care of so I feel pretty good about that. Take the first step or two, and suddenly planning the trip becomes energizing!

Right now, I am so excited it is hard to not to look at hotels and things to do and places to go. I am in meetings and looking at tourism websites; on phone calls I am looking at pretty pictures. Three days and counting, with an overwhelming to-do list for both work and the trip – and I positively giddy.

Final Thoughts on Vacation

We are living in divisive and scary times. I get that. Taking a vacation – a real vacation, away from the phone and the computer and the constant news feed of Twitter and Facebook and streaming services – is a wonderful way to power down and recharge.

The bonus to this is that you get that experience of seeing other people doing the day to day you do at home. I have found that our similarities are far greater than our differences. For those who worry that traveling as an American right now is not a smart thing, let me assure you, the vast majority of people in the world get that governments and people are not the same thing.

So please, if you have the luxury of vacation time, take it. Go and see the world, discover new things and places, and rediscover yourself in the process.

Travel changes you – the reflection of your experiences will always be with you.

It’s a fact. Travel changes you. Mostly for the best, it leaves a mark. Anthony Bourdain had that exactly right. Travel changes you. You head off on vacation, you don’t really think about it, but you come back changed.

It might not be a big change – you might not even notice it – but something is different. Maybe you think about that place more, pay attention to the news when something happens there; maybe you think about the people you met or the things you saw and so see that part of the world in a new light. Travel changes you.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I have seen the world in a new light; I have learned that we have more in common than we do differences. Usually my experiences have been good; lovely memories of people I have met and things I have seen.

Sometimes the experiences have been uncomfortable – traveling companions that were less than ideal, hotels that were less than ideal, people who were less than ideal.

More often than not, I have had to confront what I think is ideal. Being irritated that beggars ‘ruined’ my trip across the Ha’penny Bridge in Dublin, or seeing the ravages of war in Sarajevo. Realizing that I was a visitor, while the people I encountered lived there, made me see just how lucky I am to live where I live and how I live.

Travel changes you in ways you don’t expect.

Dignity and Beauty

When I looked a little deeper, I found something really spectacular. I found truth and beauty and dignity.

In Krakow I had an amazing discussion with two lovely people – one whose generation straddled the fall of the Iron Curtain, and another who had grown up in a truly free country. Listening to the two of them talk, I learned so much.

In the Caribbean, I saw dignity and grace in people who lived in what we would consider abject poverty. Neighborhoods where homes have no running water, who share a communal bathroom I saw women who held themselves with a confidence and swagger that I envied.

It happens again and again. I am forced to confront my biases and world view. I know that I have a more open mind and a more open heart because I have traveled.

Travel Changes you because it makes you face things about yourself that are uncomfortable.

Growing Pains

While I have been to a goodly number of places, I want to be clear that most of my travels have been concentrated in Europe. Most of my experiences have been with people who look like me. Mostly I have seen a perfect reflection of the person I confront in the mirror every morning.

Unfortunately I have seen that reflection act in ways that make me cringe. The casual racism, the casual cruelty towards the poor or the mentally ill, the casual dismissal of those deemed less than.

These experiences were uncomfortable; sometimes irritating and often heartbreaking. I think of them as growing pains, because each one taught me something. I learned to be more patient of those who battle demons, those who are just trying to survive another day. Mostly I learned that I am guilty of all the same things and to try to do better.

Travel changes you; it makes you a better person.

Open Mind, Open Heart

I try, Lord how I try, to be a good guest when I travel. My goal is to view the world with an open mind and an open heart. Honestly, it isn’t easy.

I’m headed to Germany and France in a few days. A trip I have been planning and dreaming about for several months is running up against media reports of an upsurge in so-called “nationalist” movements in both countries.

But I want to see these destinations for the real people who are there. If my travels and the past two years have taught me anything, it is that governments and people are two different things. I want to see others as I want to be seen – as an individual rather than an ideology or a skin color or a religious affiliation.

Travel changes you, it allows you to see the forest and the trees.

Travel Changes You

In your travels, you will have moments of great beauty and great insight. You will meet people who will amaze and charm you. Sometimes you will run into ugly truths – about the world and about yourself. There will be experiences both enchanting and frightening.

The one thing that will always happen is that you will be changed. You may not notice it for a while. I know I didn’t. It doesn’t matter, it will happen and you will be better for it.

Anyone who tells you that travel is frivolous or a waste of money just doesn’t get it. You will be bolder, better, more tolerant, and more compassionate.

Travel changes you.

hotels - a charming and comfortable hotel in Paris

Charming and comfortable – hotels can be both, as long as you are clear on what you want and what they offer

Hotels are one of those things that should be easy to pick. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say “Oh hotels! Where I stay doesn’t matter, it’s just a place to sleep after all.” Then they come back with some tale of woe about how awful the hotel was.

Hotels abroad are a very different animal than what most of us here in the states are used to. We have chains we rely on, or a brand that we are loyal to that is our go to for business or personal travel. It should be easy. But hotels abroad are a different animal in many ways.

Charming vs. Comfortable

A woman I used to work with once pleaded with me to book her into a Hilton in London. I was a bit perplexed to say the least, so I asked what the deal was.

Come to find out she had been relying on the UK office to book her hotels and they always put her someplace “charming.” The places were, indeed charming, but they also lacked a few things we tend to take for granted. Like air conditioning and window screens.

As this was one of the hottest summers in UK history, this was a problem. Add to that the place they booked her into was near the office in a suburb of London, located on a lake that had a lot of midges on hot summer evenings. No window screens meant the room was fair game to said midges, not to mention that the midges thought she was mighty tasty.

Soulless vs Charming

So the Hilton it was. She was willing to trade the charming hotel – that she really, really liked – for a hotel that could have been a hotel pretty much anywhere. Let’s face it, Hiltons or Hyatts or Marriotts are always going to be pretty much like every other in the chain. You get comfort, but you don’t get much in the way of local flavor.

When it comes to hotels, do you always have to make the trade-off between soulless and charming? Not really, at least not any more. You can find compromises between the big chain hotels and the small charming hotels that give you the best of both worlds.

All it takes is getting good at reading the websites and maybe doing a little research.

Groundwork

I like to start off by about what I absolutely need. For instance, do I really care about ‘boutique skin and hair care’ in the bathroom? No, I don’t. I travel with my own stuff and rarely use what the hotels tend to lay on. A friend, however, refuses to take shampoo or conditioner because it takes up room so she is going to care.

I hate traveling with a blow dryer, so I want a hotel that provides one. Likewise, I have done my time in the trenches with hotels that don’t have temperature control. The list goes on from there – will you eat breakfast at the hotel? If not, paying extra for a room with breakfast included doesn’t make sense.

Let me recap – my must-haves for a hotel are in room temperature controls, a blow dryer, wi-fi and location. One of my travel friends has a list that includes good hair products, breakfast, and airport transfers. We have never agreed on hotels. Not a single time!

It’s All About the Compromise

When I first started traveling, I was all about the hotels with local color. I didn’t think about the amenities for more than about a minute. The result was that I had some interesting but ultimately uncomfortable stays.

Now when I travel I am more interested in the value for my money than I am in the local color. Local color is great, and I love it when I can find it – but it isn’t my priority anymore.

I want hotels that give me some bang for my buck. Hotels that are gentle on the pocket book while delivering a safe and comfortable place to sleep are more important to me than one that is quaint and charming.

Hotels as Metaphor

I know how easy it is to get caught up in the atmosphere of your dream trip. You want everything to be perfect; you really want that trip to look exactly like that lovely rom-com where the couple has the meet-cute in the darling little inn in the darling little town in that beautiful country.

No one is as guilty of that sort of trip planning as I am. My first two trips were this sort of thing exactly. What I got out of it was a series of overly warm, sleepless nights and a grumpier me. These hotels were places that looked lovely and were full of local color, they just weren’t comfortable.

Hotels are much more to your trip than just a place to sleep, but they aren’t the heart and soul of your trip either. Oddly enough, the wrong hotel will have more impact on your trip than the right hotel, or even the okay hotel. Like everything else in life, the devil really is in the details.

Read the Fine Print

The good news is that more and more hotels are moving towards the creature comforts. It is easier than ever to find a charming hotel that is also comfortable, well-appointed and budget friendly.

Know what you must have, what you would like to have and what you can live without and then read the fine print. Most hotels will tell you exactly what you are getting in the cost, what is extra and what isn’t on the menu. Match this up with your list and then make your choice.

Like a book, hotels are much more about what is beneath the surface than what the outside will tell you about it. Most importantly, don’t let a bad hotel ruin your trip. At the end of the day, don’t be afraid to complain or even walk away from hotels that are sub-par.

What are your tricks, tips or recommendations for finding the best hotels?

Trains are probably my favorite form of travel. Maybe it is the romance of the rails, or perhaps it hearkens back to a different era; the reason isn’t that important to me. I just love trains.

Honestly, I love pretty much everything about them. Train stations, the sound of the rails, the people you meet; there is just something that whispers ‘travel’ to me in a way that airports and airplanes don’t.

There Was a Time

I look at old film, and even think back to when I was a little girl and there was a time when flying was something elegant. You dressed up to get on a plane. Service was gracious and charming.

Please don’t think I am disrespecting flight attendants, far from it. They have a very important job to do and often they have to do that in less than ideal circumstances. Two or three people taking care of fifty people is a very different thing than taking care of upwards of 100.

With international flights now moving closer to 500 people – well, I think we all owe flight attendants a very big thank you for even being able to get us a soda! Add into that the number of oafs who seem able to fly, and it gets worse.

Now Departing, Platform 1

Trains, on the other hand, still have that air of elegance to me. Not that I think people dress better or act better, it is just a very different experience. People seem to slow down on trains.

I have taken the high-speed TGV trains in France and the AVE in Spain; I have also taken the slower Belgian and Dutch cross border trains. The lovely ride from Edinburgh to London is one of my favorites, along with every other train ride I have taken in the UK.

Each departure seems to hint of an adventure on the horizon. I half expect Hercule Poirot to twirl his mustache at me as I board, or for Fanny Brice to emerge from the cloud of steam enveloping the platform. Neither has happened, of course, but I am still looking.

Slow Travel on High Speed

Trains require you to slow down, I think. There is a rhythm to train travel, even those high-speed ones, that speaks to a different pace. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched business folks pull out the laptop and the phone and the files, ready to get to be productive, only to end up looking out a window.

Watching the countryside slide or zip by seems to invite me – us – to watch. I look for the church spire to appear in the distance and then wait as the town or village appears. In those moments I find myself musing about that place and the people who liver there.

Straight to the Heart

You get to see a bit more of the country by train, get a better sense of place. Planes are at a remove, with even the airports often being on the far fringe of a city. Trains are part and parcel of the land.

I suppose you could say that trains are the blood flow, the arteries that take us to and from the heart of a city or a country. Even roadways seem to strive to route you on the most efficient and bloodless routes available, but trains still take us through the nitty-gritty of city, town and countryside.

Enough with the Poetry

Romance aside, the other reason I love train travel is that mostly (not always) trains take you right to where you want to be. Train stations are part of the cities they serve. In larger cities you often have options – north station, central station, southern station – one will get you close to wherever you are staying.

Hotels, especially in Europe, often identify by location including the train station. Ibis, Gare du Nord tells you that this Ibis hotel is near the north station (Gare du Nord) in Paris. In Amsterdam or Brussels, you might see ‘Centraal’ in a hotel description, indicating it is near the Central Station.

This is not always the case – the Segovia AVE station is one that proves the exception! I walked out of that station and found myself looking at a vast plain. A vast plain and cows, actually.

Ticket, Please

Another aspect of train travel I like is the cost. My flight to Frankfurt in a few weeks is $1300, a flight to Strasbourg, my final destination, is closer to two grand. A train ticket between the two towns is less than a hundred dollars. In fact, I can grab the high-speed TGV for right around $40.

If I want to splash out for first class, it is around $95. A flight between the two would cost twice that and take more time when you factor in check in, security and the distance between airports and the city.

From a purely practical aspect, train travel is a better value all around.

Trains – Logical and Romantic!

Okay, yes, I am still going to go with the romance of the rails as my primary reason for loving trains. I get that not everyone is all about the romance though.

So let’s look at another practical aspect; day trips.

Most of Europe was built around train travel. The end result is that today we have the ability to take day trips to other parts of the country via rail. On a trip to Lyon, I was able to see Vienne and Lake Annecy, each being about an hour away. In Cork I took a quick 30 minute train ride to Cobh.

Ride the Rails

So there is my case for trains. It is slow travel, romantic travel, and practical travel all rolled into one. I am looking forward to my next European train trip in just a matter of days (okay, two weeks) because it just hits all the buttons for me.

Already I am picturing myself, notebook at the ready to capture my thoughts and impressions as we ride across the Alsatian countryside. In truth, few words will be written, because I will be staring out the window wondering about that town, wondering where that road leads, and musing about world. Because, well that’s what trains are for.

Indecision - woman in front of departure board

Where to go? Where to stay? What to do? Indecision keeps you guessing – and second guessing all your choices!

Indecision, what a harsh task mistress she is! I know her all too well, especially when it comes to travel planning. Indecision loves to butt her nose in from the very start and second guess everything I am doing.

“That flight? Really? You want to take that flight?” she asks just as I think I have it down.

“There? You want to spend time there. What an interesting choice.” She mocks as I peruse various places to see.

Indecision haunts my hotel choices; chiding me that surely I can do better than that or reminding me that I’m not exactly made of money. No matter how small the decision, she has a thought on my thoughts!

Shut Up Already!

Getting Indecision to quiet down is a constant battle. I put most of this down to anxiety. It is completely understandable, because this is a new place and really far away. Of course I am going to be a little anxious.

A trip abroad costs a goodly amount of money. Sure, this isn’t ‘buy a house’ kind of money, but it isn’t exactly chump change, as my Dad used to say. It isn’t unreasonable to worry that a bad hotel or the wrong flight could at least cast a pall across your trip. Worse still would be ending up in a place that sounded good but in reality wasn’t all that interesting.

So how do I get Indecision to shut up already about all of this?

Zen and the Art of Trip Planning

It has taken me a while, a dozen or so trips, to find my trip planning zen. For me, touching that place of calm helps to make Indecision a little less frantic and intrusive.

What do I mean by that? First off, going with your gut is a good thing. If you want to go somewhere, go. Nothing says you are contractually bound to stay there for the entire trip if it isn’t great. Generally, we are headed to a continent, like Europe or South America. Even a country such as India is pretty darn big. So if place A doesn’t do it for you, there are other places nearby that just might.

Secondly, I try to find the root of my anxiety. Right now I am planning a trip to France and Germany and I should be over the moon about it. Indecision, however, means that 20 days out from my trip I have yet to nail anything – not a single aspect of my trip – down.

When I sat and thought about this last night, it comes down to money anxiety. This is the first time in quite a while that I will be taking a trip during peak travel season. As a result, things are a little more expensive than I was thinking. Not terribly so, but a bit.

Breathe! Just Breathe!

Recognizing that both these factors – the fear of the unknown and my own money issues hounding me – has helped me take a step back and think lucidly about this trip. What do I want from it, what is going to work for me – these are the key questions I am asking myself.

A few deep breaths later and I have a better handle on what I am looking for from this jaunt. Primarily I need some down time, things have been stressful lately, so I want a trip that is pretty much stress free.

I am not a sit on the beach and read a book for two weeks kind of gal however, so that means that my second consideration is that wherever I go, I am going to need some things to keep me interested and engaged.

Indecision wants to horn in on that second one, but she sure can’t argue with the first!

All of this noise in my head led me to an interesting realization. Some of the best trips I have taken have been ones where I did minimal planning. It sounds so counter-intuitive to me, and yet I know in my heart that the best trips I have taken have been the result of not deciding on anything other than were I want to go first.

Take my recent trip to Spain. I locked down that I would start in Madrid and then I winged it. All I had was a vague idea of what I wanted to see and where I wanted to go after Madrid, but nothing was set in stone.

Once I was in Madrid, I let my back brain do some mulling and number crunching and vetting of ideas. I sat on my bed in my hotel one evening and looked at what was an easy train ride away, and then I decided on where I was going next.

When I got to the second destination, I repeated the process. It was an amazing trip, far better – and far different – than the one that Indecision was hounding me about.

Learning From My Own History

The most amazing part of all of this is that when I look back on most of the trips I have taken over the years, each of them have some aspect of winging it. Even my very first trip was not the meticulously planned and plotted ideal I like to think it was. Heck, I ended up in Normandy with no notion of how I was getting back to London (where I was to catch my flight home).

In about twenty minutes of research, I booked a ferry from Le Harve, France to Portsmouth, UK (and thus I can now say I have flown over, ridden under, and floated across the English Channel!). Once I arrived in Portsmouth, I found a hotel room. That evening, as I reveled in the air-conditioned splendor of my hotel (after a week of record temperatures in charming little hotels that relied on small room fans for air movement…) I found a hotel in London for the last few nights of my trip. It was grand.

On a trip to Croatia, I convinced my friends to leave the now rainy Dalmatian coast behind and head to the rainier (and chillier) Sarajevo – with a quick stop in Mostar. Even with the weather, it was an amazing trip. It was an experience I would have missed if I had insisted on staying true to my well laid out and Indecision vetted plan. The last leg of the trip I was so giddy with my new-found power that I extended my stay on the island of Hvar by three nights.

Indecision Isn’t All Bad

Bottom line here is that when Indecision is nagging at you, listen to what she is really trying to say. Sometime she just wants to call your attention to something that is making you anxious, and that anxiety has the very real possibility of sinking your trip.

Indecision might also be trying to tell you to lighten up. As tempting and comforting as it sounds to have every last minute – second – of your trip meticulously planned, there are some lovely things out there waiting for you if you could just let go of the control stick for a moment.

Like all advice on this blog – or anywhere – your mileage may vary. Whatever you do, don’t let Indecision bully you into doing nothing.

Edinburgh Old town during a summer storm

Edinburgh as Inspiration – easy to see the origins of the Harry Potter stories!

Edinburgh is a beautiful city. It has all the bells and whistles. There is a magnificent castle, world-class museums, breathtaking vistas and incredible food. When it comes to a “gateway” city, Edinburgh is a great choice.

What is this Gateway City You Speak of?

Gateway cities, to me, are places that are great for the first time International traveler. Let’s face it, that first trip can be a bit scary! You don’t know what to expect, you worry about speaking the language, etc. Finding a city that interests you and helps keep your fears at bay is a gateway to start traveling.

Most people, myself included, end up in London. It hits all the markers above, but it is also a great big city. It can be intimidating, when you get down to it. The Underground seems really complicated, finding a hotel that isn’t way on the edge of nowhere can be tricky, and it’s expensive.

If I had to do it all over again, I would go to Edinburgh for my first trip.

Edinburgh – Human Sized

I’ve developed a real fondness for ‘second’ cities. These are the places people go next. After Paris, you go to Lyon or Cannes or Marseille. When you have seen London, you move on to York or Manchester or Edinburgh.

When I was in Lyon I heard a great comment about the place. It was at the Tourist Information office, one of my favorite places to go in a new city. The young man who was helping me figure out a couple of easy day trips got to chatting with me. He commented that while Paris is indeed lovely, Lyon is more ‘human-sized.’

I love that description. It just means that it is more navigable, a bit more user-friendly than the glitzy ‘A-list’ cities. Edinburgh fits this description quite nicely. While it is still a big city, it feels a bit more human-sized. It is a very walkable city, and in my experience, the locals are amazingly friendly.

Bus Stops and Conversations

On my first day in Edinburgh, I was trying to get to my B&B. I got on the wrong bus. Right out of the gate, I took the wrong bus. So there I was looking at a map and wondering where I was supposed to get off. A really lovely woman asked me where I was headed and told me about my mistake.

That seems pretty decent – but it didn’t stop there. No, she got off at the next stop with me, walked me to the proper stop, and then waited with me until my bus arrived. She then proceeded to tell the driver where I was headed and made him promise to let me know where my stop was! Edinburgh gets big points for that alone.

In fact, I met amazing people at bus stops, and had incredible conversations. Not only did I meet the nurse above, I met a farmer who chatted with me about what I should see, a couple who were keen to learn about the Pacific Northwest (where I am from), and a woman who gave me an inside tip on a restaurant.

Valdemort was Here

Beyond the loveliest people, Edinburgh is a very literary and artistic city. Authors through the ages have been inspired by this city; from Robert Burns to JK Rowling. It is a very literary and artistic place. In fact, a view across the Old Town as a summer storm rolled in, it was easy to see where the Harry Potter books got their wonderful atmosphere. I could almost picture Valdemort appearing out of the clouds to swoop down on the city!

Inspiration is pretty much everywhere you look. There’s a castle. I have said it before, all the best cities have castles, and Edinburgh doesn’t disappoint. I would be hard pressed to find another spot in the UK, perhaps Europe, that has been witness to as much history as this pile of bricks.

In fact, the majority of the city can make that claim. When you consider the area called the New Town dates from 1760, and that Edinburgh and its environs have been continuously inhabited for well over a thousand years, inspiration is going to be in the very pores of the place.

Getting Your Feet Under You

Edinburgh is doing a lot to woo travelers. There is a tram line from the airport to the heart of downtown. The bus system is excellent, and makes staying just outside the city center an easy and budget friendly option. It is a town with an established foodie culture, and there is no end of interesting things to see and do.

The tourist information office at Waverly station is filled with interesting ideas for things to do. It is centrally located and easy to find. In fact, that sums up pretty much all the main attractions in Edinburgh – centrally located and easy to find.

Whether it is strolling the Royal Mile from the castle to the Holyroodhouse Palace, taking a hike up to Arthur’s Seat, or finding a museum to browse, it is all pretty much right there for you. Honestly, I think it is one of the easiest cities to get around.

Consider the Alternatives

London is amazing, and it is an easy place to get to from pretty much anywhere. When most of us think of a gentle entry point to our international travels, it is the city that most often comes to mind. It is also a place that can be overwhelming just due to the size and the sheer amount of people.

Choosing a second city, like Edinburgh, is a great way to get your feet on foreign soil in a quieter, more user-friendly way. I think it is a wise move to weigh your options for your first trip to any country. The glitzy first city will always be a draw, but when you consider the alternatives, you might find a more ‘real’ experience in a second city. The scale is often more manageable and the locals less jaded by tourists; however you still have enough to see and do to fill your time.

Do you have a favorite ‘second city’ or one that you really want to see? I’d love to hear about it.

flights - airplane at gate waiting for departure

Searching for flights is a basic travel planning skill. It all pays off when you are at the boarding gate ready for your next adventure!

Flights are a fundamental part of your trip planning. While getting from here to there is faster and easier than ever, it is also a lot more complicated. So how do you plan a trip without breaking the bank or losing your mind?

Once you have a few tricks under your hat, finding flights that are both affordable and timely becomes a lot easier. To demonstrate, I’d like to walk you through my process.

Mind you, this is what works for me, your mileage may vary. However, even if you decide to throw in the towel and let a travel agent book your flights for you, having a little knowledge about how the process works could save you some money.

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning

It’s a very good place to start! After you decide where you want to go, finding your flights to get there is generally the next step. I like to start with an on-line travel agency. These are sites like Expedia, Travelocity, etc.

They are a lot like the corner travel agency used to be, a place to book flights, hotels and cars. These sites offer a variety of options for your flights, but they generally don’t offer all the options that are out there.

Some sites will actually buy up seats at a certain fare and then re-sell them to you. These are called ‘wholesalers.” Other sites work much like a traditional agency, interacting directly with the airlines inventory of flights and selling them to you.

Finally, some sites are aggregators – they crawl the wholesaler and agency sites and return a number of options from both. Aggregators will generally send you back to the original site where the flights ‘live’ and you will purchase there. I tend to avoid the aggregators; they just seem like an unnecessary extra step.

Flights of Fancy

So let’s look at the travel agency sites. Plug in the city pairs for your trip and watch as the screen populates magically with lots and lots of flights for you to choose from. This is when sticker shock generally sets in.

Don’t be put off by prices just yet, because we are far from finished!

First off, sometimes you have to think outside the box when it comes to booking flights. There is almost always more than one way to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Getting from Here to There

Let me give you an example. I am planning a trip to the Alsace region of France. The major city is Strasbourg, second home to the EU parliament. However, a flight from Portland, OR to Strasbourg, France starts at over $2,000.00. It would be tempting to give up based on that alone.

Rather than give up, the next option is to go to Google Maps. I use this to find a major city that is nearby, say within a three-hour train ride. In this case, I have several options.

Paris, Frankfurt and Zürich all are within a 2 and a half hour train ride from Strasbourg. So now I just need to look at flights to each of those from Portland. I can also look at flights from Seattle to these destinations since it is fast and inexpensive for me to get to Seattle.

Query Me This

In this case a quick query of flights from to each of those destinations tells me that I am best off leaving from Portland. Additionally Frankfurt it is my best bet by about $300. So Frankfurt it is.

Just to recap – over $2,000 for a flight from Portland to Strasbourg, whereas a flight to Frankfurt (with fewer stops!) is currently $1,067. I just saved myself close to $1,000!

Sounds great, yes? It is tempting to stop here, book these flights and pat myself on the back for a job well done. However, I still need to factor in the cost of a round trip train ticket from Frankfurt to Strasbourg.

It makes no sense to save a grand in airfare if getting a train between the two completely eats that savings. In this case, a return ticket is just over $100, I am good to go!

Think Outside the Box, while Staying Close to the Box

When you are searching for bargains, think about variables other than the cost of the flights. As mentioned above, a train ticket or other ground transportation can quickly eat your savings.

But there are other factors, such as time. A gentleman I used to work with proudly told me how he had saved several hundred dollars on a flight I had booked for him. When I looked at his itinerary, he had failed to notice that he had a 16 hour layover in London. His bargain flight ate up 14 hours of his time compared to what I had booked.

I have fallen prey to this myself. I was thrilled to find a great price on a flight on my second trip abroad. Rather than fly into Brussels, Belgium, I saved about $500 dollars by flying to London. I would take a train to Brussels!

The problem was that my train ticket was close to $400 for a round trip. Eurostar can be expensive! Not only that, I burned almost two full days of vacation due to the timing of my flights and trains.

Back to the Flights…

Once I have found the flights that work, and have a good idea of the price, I go directly to the airline website. That probably sounds a little odd.

Let me explain. The airlines often offer incentives to get you to their website. Sometimes you can find “web only” fares on the airline sites that aren’t on the agency sites. Not always, but it is worth checking. It may be as small as $10, but I have also seen differences of over $100. Anything that might translate into a hotel night or perhaps an extra dinner out is worth the effort for me!

Warnings!

No matter where you book your flights, always pay attention to ALL the small print when purchasing your reservation. Sites can be sneaky, and not in a good way. Some online travel agencies will require you “opt out” of things like flight insurance. In other words, if you don’t uncheck the box, you may find an extra charge. Quite often they will not reimburse you after the fact.

Make sure you read and understand the fare rules. If a flight is non-refundable and you cancel, you won’t be able to get your money back. Sometimes you can use the fare as credit on a future flight, but not always. If a flight is ‘changeable’ make a note of what that change fee is. In my experience, most change fees are in the neighborhood of $200, but they can go higher.

Changeable fares also mean that if the fare on the flight you change to is higher, you are paying both the change fee and whatever the difference is between the original fare and the higher one.

Flight or Fright

I know this is all a little daunting. The last section alone might have you running for the safety of your bed! Don’t panic, it really is a lot easier than writing it all sounds.

Let’s do a quick recap:

Check with online travel agencies like Expedia or Travelocity.
If the fare seems really high, look at alternative airports that are in easy (and inexpensive) train or bus distance of your destination.
Keep in mind that time is also a cost – check those connection times!
Zip over to the website for the airline with the best options and see if you can a little discount by purchasing from them
Read everything before you finalize your flights. Make sure you aren’t paying for unwanted extras and that you understand what the change rules are on your flights.
Fly! Be Free!

Above all else – remember the flights you purchase are literally the ticket to your vacation. You are going to have an amazing trip, and next time you will be an old hand.

Have any other questions about booking flights? Have any tips that work for you? Leave them in the comments.

Tourist stop - Guinness Storehouse in Dublin Ireland

Tourist happily trapped – view from the top of the Storehouse, complete with James Joyce quote.

Funny how words can become stigmas; take the word tourist. Somewhere along the line this harmless word became derisive. We are all afraid of looking like a tourist when we travel, as though being a tourist is somehow offensive. I beg to differ.

I grew up in a tourist town, Las Vegas, so I know from tourists and I rather like them. Honestly, I like being one!

Give me a good gift shop, hand me that audio tour, or show me that famous site and I am a happy woman. Sure, I draw the line at, well, really long lines; but by and large I am on board with the whole tourism thing.

The Stigma of Being a Tourist

I am going rant a bit about those glossy travel magazines that have oodles of articles on how to not look like a tourist in whatever city they are on about this week. It seems there are few fates worse than being pegged as one of those people.

One recently used the term ‘hapless’ in regards to being a tourist; which frankly I found odd, considering what the word means (unfortunate, luckless). Sorry, snooty magazine writer; if I’m visiting Rome or Paris or Berlin or Tokyo or Buenos Aires I consider myself anything but hapless.

More baffling to me is a magazine that is all about travel wants to try to make us feel bad about traveling. I refuse to do that. Instead, I am going to continue to let my freak flag fly.

Let me tell you a story

I was in Dublin and I had spent two days doing day trips that were just awesome (thanks, Over the Top Tours!). This alone could qualify as a tourist activity as I had gone into and iron age tomb, stood in front of a magnificent Celtic Cross in the middle of a misty field – one that anywhere else in the world would have been plucked and tucked into a museum. I had seen magnificent vistas and incredible ruins. It was great.

Now I had a day in Dublin. Just me. I was headed to Edinburgh in the morning and realized that I hadn’t really just wandered Dublin. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am a big fan of wandering. And so I did.

It was a lovely day; I followed a random street here and there, enjoying the sunshine after a few days of mostly damp weather. I found myself crossing the James Joyce bridge, one of many bridges spanning the Liffey. Dublin is a literary town, and it takes this legacy seriously, providing tourists with lots of quotes on the sides of buildings

Once across the bridge I found myself in an area that seemed to be mostly warehouses, light industrial with a few apartment blocks. And then I saw a sign that said Guinness. Ah, yes. Dublin is where Guinness comes from.

Guinness Storehouse – Tourist Extravaganza

I followed the signs to the Guinness Storehouse, as it is called. This place has tourist written all over it; a slick museum that pays homage to all things beer. I paid my admission, stepping from industrial Dublin into a gleaming glass atrium with a large gift shop to get you started.

View from the top of the Storehouse, complete with James Joyce quote.

I made my way through the four elements of beer – water, barley, hops, and yeast – through barrel rooms, through a retrospective of Guinness advertising and finally to a bar at the top of the building that has a stunning view over the city.

There were opportunities to taste different brews (all Guinness) that are sold in different countries. There was a restaurant that had food all involving the dark stout (including a stew that was just heavenly).

I took it all in. Was it the epitome of being a tourist? Yes. It most certainly was. Did that diminish my enjoyment of it? Not a bit. I was happy to be there.

You Came All the Way Here for That?

Someone may have pointed at me and giggled behind their hand to a companion. “Look! A tourist!” Folks may have seen me wandering that part of the city and thought to themselves “Another bloody lost tourist.” Some may have thought unkind things about me.

I’m okay with that. I was in Dublin; Dublin-freaking-Ireland. Not only was I in Dublin, Ireland, I was drinking Guinness at the source – or pretty darned near to the source. Legend (or marketing) has it that this is where it is supposed to taste the best.

I came here for just that, to have experiences that are different from where I live. The fact that I was a tourist had very little to do with where I was standing. This was going to be known the minute I opened my mouth, with my American accent; as it will anywhere I go that is out of the US..

Be A Tourist!

Be openly admiring of wherever it is you are visiting. Have fun because you are in this incredible place. This place you have dreamed of going, this place you have been looking forward to seeing.

Nothing about being a tourist means you are hapless. It means you took a chance and went somewhere new and different. Being a tourist means that you are paying quite a compliment to wherever you are. Of all the places in the world you could go, you went there.

This is probably where I should put all the warnings about being careful and such. Perhaps this is the paragraph where I should talk about precautions, especially if you are traveling alone. Maybe this is where I should admonish you to be polite, to be a good guest. There will be time for that in another post.

For now, I think, it is enough to say that it is more than okay to just be a tourist for a day or 12. Traveling should be fun. So gape at that attraction, pick up something in the gift shop and take a picture of yourself in front of that place. You always wanted to go here, so revel in each moment.

I am going to be a tourist again in a few weeks; this time in France and Germany. Where are you going to be a tourist this year?

Valladolid – a frozen fountain on a quiet New Year’s day

Valladolid was not originally on my itinerary. It wasn’t even really on my radar. I was just looking for my next stop after five incredible days in Madrid. Typical of me to blow up my schedule when I am traveling.

The first stop is always guaranteed, but the next one? That’s up in the air.

This however, isn’t about my crazy travel habits. We’re here to talk about Valladolid

Lonely Planet Descriptions

I’ve come to learn that Lonely Planet has two speeds. Gushing, passionate reviews of places that leave you wondering why you aren’t booking that ticket right now. These seemed reserved for the usual suspects; London, Berlin, Prague or the like.

The second speed is charming understatement. Comments that are complementary but in the way your aunt would compliment your strange outfit. Not quite a ringing endorsement, but somewhere above lukewarm. “That color looks nice on you” sort of thing.

So when I run across one of these statements, I am almost always intrigued and feel a deep need to figure out what’s going on.

Getting out of Dodge – or at Least Madrid

Madrid was amazing (hey, Lonely Planet calls it a “Golden Metropolis!”) but as New Year’s eve drew close, the place was absolutely pulsating with people. This is where the country, it seems, goes to celebrate in a big way.

I was feeling in need of something more… human sized (as my friend in Lyon would refer to that city). I also wanted it to be fairly close. Spain is a big country, and spending a day on a train wasn’t in the cards. That ruled out a large portion of the country.

Salamanca was nearly sold out of rooms, Avila was headed in that direction, as was Seville. The prices for hotels were going up as the number of rooms dwindled. It was time to do some research, and so, Lonely Planet.

Next Stop Is…

Madrid is a Golden Metropolis. Valladolid is a “lively provincial city.” See what I mean? That color looks nice on you, Valladolid. The next line really grabbed me though. It said that it had a “very Spanish Character.”

Honestly, my first thought was, ‘well, yes, because it is in Spain. Of course it would have a ‘Spanish character.’ And yet the notion of a very Spanish city intrigued me. There I was in Spain, Spanish character was called for.

Rooms were, if not plentiful, at least far more affordable. I was sold. Valladolid it was.

Heading North

I took a Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) – or high-speed train – which was a bargain at around $20. Valladolid was already winning me over!

The route is not quite two hours by train from Madrid out of Madrid’s Chamartin station. A comfortable ride past small towns, farms, orchards and a lot of wide open spaces. I love trains for this fact, I get to see the countryside and wonder about the places and the people.

The main station in Valladolid is the Campo Grande, and it is a gem. It is small but well-organized and there was a bit of a hum about the place when I arrived. From the outside it has a wonderfully imposing stone front with three large arches.

A Very Spanish City

Valladolid is a jewel – the old city on one side of the river, the newer city on the other coexisting nicely – winding roads, side streets, courtyards and buildings that sit right out over the sidewalk to offer shade in what must be hot summers and cover in the rainy season.

As I walked the streets, I felt like I had gone back in time somehow. Women dressed elegantly, men in suits strolled with walking sticks. There are art deco and rococo buildings, narrow streets, and broad plazas. Spain won me over with the plazas.

The Plaza Espana was abuzz with a farmer’s market that seems to be a fixture of that square. Gorgeous produce was haggled over by shoppers who looked for the just the right whatever, smelled bunches of herbs, and packed ever more items into burgeoning tote-bags. This was the front yard of my hotel.

The Plaza Mayor is grand with the red buildings and white columns, the red brick center, the iron balconies and the green shutters. It looks… very Spanish. In this holiday season there was a small fair in the center with rides for children, a stand selling very welcome hot chocolate (it was cold!) and a lovely Christmas tree. Families lingered, students gathered around tables at the outdoor seating areas for the many restaurants, shoppers hurried past. Everything about this town was alive.

Valladolid – Old and New

Valladolid is a mix of old and even ancient churches, presided over by a grand Cathedral. Some of these places even smell old – as in you get the sense the air in them has not changed since, well, they were built. It is that particular smell of old stone, earth and perhaps a little lingering of incense. I love it.

It is also a city of small bars and lovely shops along narrow streets. There are buildings with grand doors that seem to beckon and small plazas that invite you to sit. Nothing feels hurried here, even the boisterous students seem content to stay put for a good debate and a decent beer.

The old town is surrounded by a more modern city. One with new apartment blocks, government and other office buildings.

A Celebratory Night, A Solitary Day

I arrived on New Year’s Eve, and I don’t know what I expected to happen. I suppose I planned a quiet evening to myself, if anything. Instead I found myself pulled along to the Plaza Mayor after a late dinner. The air fairly danced with the notion of the New Year. Valladolid knows how to throw a party.

It was cold; really, really cold; but no one seemed to mind. I managed to hang out until the fireworks were done, and I’m glad I did. Sure, it was after midnight, but the feeling of joy was just everywhere around me. Oddly, that crowd felt very safe, and even the walk back to the hotel was spent among a sea of people.

The boisterous night turned to a quiet morning. I headed out after breakfast, curious as to what New Year’s day was like in this city. I had the place to myself. It was a foggy morning, and the cold mist hung over the place, a silencing blanket over the still sleeping city.

It was lovely. I found myself in a quiet square, happy for the solitary moment. I was glad I had come to this very Spanish city.