Destination Idea - Atlanta!

Yes Scarlett, I said Atlanta.
I have a different sort of trip for this city ...themed revolved around art - one of my most passionate hobbies / interests that I have.
I wanted to start off by saying how impressed I was with the airport in transportation system from the airport. The railway from the airport that dumps you out around the art district is not only clean but I felt extraordinarily safe even with my luggage.
Now regarding our theme, we started out touring the Atlanta Art Museum which had a special exhibit around coke. Now I've been to art museums all over the world and this wasn't the best or even close but it was a nice quaint museum to breeze through.

Following the art museum we headed off to the Swan ouse which was one of the plantation owners townhomes. It is named after the theme of the house. There's a swan in every room (painted ... sculpted. .) in addition there is a very small art exhibit from local artists attached to the gift shop which is in the car port portion of the home. There is a cute restaurant there and if you ask for it they will give you a tour. A lot of the furnishings there are original. Then make your way back to the actual house you might pass small house on the way. Believe it or not this was the children's playhouse. From the guide who is in character that greets you as you walk in to the beautiful painted bathrooms to mimic marvel you will feel transported back in time. Make sure you don't forget to check out the basement where they have a whole exhibit dedicated to the architect of this home. They have his drawings and also a small collection of  antique furniture and collections.

For dinner a must is the Atlas which is connected to the Ritz Carlton. I suggest you have a drink at the hotel bar which has a very fun ambiance with jazzy entertainment then head over to the Atlas. The background behind the Atlas is that there is a British art collector who decided to build a restaurant around his art collection. I actually dined under of Van Gogh and Picasso! I had to ask my friend to pinch me!

If you get a later reservation,  at the end of your meal ask for a tour of the restaurant they will also give you a printout of all of the artwork there as well.

We ended the trip by taking a leisurely walk through the beautiful botannical gardens there. They had the most beautiful picturesque display of flowers concentrated with tulips on our visit with fountains and a marvelous backdrop of the city of Atlanta.

Destination Idea- Los Cabos San Lucas

Cabo is an absolutely relaxing fun gorgeous place to "get away". There are many all inclusive safe and fun places to choose from that give you a beautiful ocean view with many pina coladas and my most recently discovered drink the "dirty monkey" (banana,  creme liquor, rum, and chocolate).

Here was my daily routine this go around. ...
Wake up early, swim laps (no one else is out there! )
eat breakfast looking out over ocean and the magnificent rocks
Scope out perfect lay out spot  (note:be prepared to pay $25 for suntan lotion at the resort)
Pool bar opens at 10.
Obtain perfect pina colada.
Make dinner reservations.
Layout and dip in pool.
Lunch
Reapply and lay out (don't forget good book)
Siesta
Get ready for dinner
Fiesta!
Show time!
Perfect get away for relaxation!

If you get the urge for some activity here are my suggestions:
Snorkeling
Sunset cruise
Golf
Deep sea fishing (restaurant at harbor will cook what you catch! )
Tequila tasting
And if you are brave and had too much tequilla... a swim in the ocean.

You see the ocean there is absolutely gorgeous and the temperature of the water is perfect. It is very tempting but it also has a rough undertow and monster waves that come out of nowhere.
I'm very capable swimmer in fact I swam before I walked and have swam my whole life. Since the water was so tempting I decided to go out and it seemed pretty calm. The lifeguard then started blowing his whistle and we promptly told him that I was a very capable swimmer. He then started blowing his whistle like crazy and pointing behind us. I turned around and just saw a wall of teal water I couldn't even see the top! A bunch of explicit things came out of my mouth that I have never said before and I turned around and started swimming as hard as I could to try to ride it in. As the monster wave pulled my upper body to the beach I
 suddenly felt the rest of my body pulled in the opposite direction.  I then was caught in a mess of sand and water with every limb pulled in every direction.  I felt as of were in a washing machine and had no idea which way was up.  I tried staying still for a bit too reorient myself but the violence was too great.  I didn't even realize that the lifeguard had grabbed my arm until he had pulled me out of the sand and water vortex.  He was at a dead run dragging me along the sand so that the next wave didn't pull is both back in.  I seemingly reached down and found that I was still wearing my bottoms to my suprise. After coughing up sand and water and washing out about 5 lbs of course cabo sand from my bikini, ears, and nose,  I made it back to the pool chair. I was promptly given a pina colada and didn't move for an hour. There wasn't a wave that big for the remainder of the trip. That evening I met a couple that said they just talked to another couple who saw a massive wave completely take out a lady and a lifeguard had to save her.  I told them that it sounded just horrible.  :^/  and searched for myself on utube that night!

In short,  no matter how good of a swimmer you are,  cabo waves are definitely like a wild animal or a box of chocolates...whichever relates to you better.
Three days later I was still getting sand out of my ears. ... guess i wanted to take a bit of cabo with me!

Unless you go for a swim in the beach, Cabo is an ideal place to relax and escape every day life!

things airports should consider. ...

1. Bathoom stall doors that swing out not into the stall or better yet, doors that slide/collapse into themselves.
2. Conveyor belts for your things to go through xray and better yet a return bin conveyor belt that returns the bins.
3. Bootie socks when you remove shoes to go through security and hand sanitizers after.
4. Switch terminal attendants and gate attendants to have part of thier income as tips...better yet each customer after they have been "helped" pushes a green or red button. Three red buttons and they are dismissed without pay that day!
5. A line up of tsa employees that you can pick from if you are chosen for a pat down.
6. Reminder signs to not throw away your custom and declaration forms in the bathroom trash after customs because you need them for declaration! Our else you will be asked to go to the detain and search area! !! (Not really speaking from personal experience?)
7. Wifi downloadable books and movies in airport.
8. You get a warm cookie and chocolate milk if your flight gets delayed. ... that makes everyone feel better.
9. Mini arcade in airport that takes all currancies.
10. Allow artists to come and paint portraits of people waiting.

France Day 8 of 18 - Albi, Carcassonne, Nimes

I did fail to mention that we stopped in Albi before heading over to Carcassonne on Day 7. One of our friends was actually from this town, so we thought we would swing by and see what it was like. Albi was a cute town with a carousel where we stopped and looked at a museum were Toulouse Lautrec had some of his paintings in an old Abby. I enjoyed the museum more than I thought I would.
Now on day 8, we headed to Carcassone which was a beautiful walled medieval city. I think Kevin Costner's Robin Hood was filmed there. If it wasn't, it should have been. Carcassonne, was somewhat touristy, but was fun to explore none the less. Check out the old and beautiful Hotel there. Very fitting for a medieval town, could not believe the prices! Maybe schedule a lunch in their exquisite medieval restaurant. We ate at a restaurant down the way where I thought I ordered duck and salad, but my basic French translation did not realize that it was actually duck gizzards! Whoops! My husbands insisted that I eat it any way not to offend the owners, but I was not in the mood, and I decided that I wanted to eat alot and what I wanted on my vacation, so I reordered. Note: Canard confit is not what I imagined either... it is duck preserved in its own fat...yet another reorder...Lesson learned... even if you think you know what something is... do some food research ahead of time just to be sure...

Then we were off to Nimes which was a pleasant surprise. Nimes is where they actually invented denim... which in French translates to " of Nimes" I thoroughly enjoyed Nimes. There was beautiful bull fighting area that looked beautiful lit up at night.
I also enjoyed looking at the roman temple there which was one of the best preserved I have seen and the Jardin de la fountaine (Roman water gardens). As you can see we are in a unique location with Spanish and Roman influences. The water gardens were absolutely beautiful. You walk over bridges and paths with water, ducks geese, and fish under neath you. The Romans showed here how they knew how to capture both architectural and natural beauty in one.

Phew what a full and beautiful day in Southern France!

Destination Idea - Arkansas

Arkansas?!? you say?
Actually, one day, we got a cheap weekend fare to Little Rock through Continental.com specials and I thought the same thing...Arkansas?!? I do like to check things out myself and give things and people for that matter a shot. I just might like it, or at least know there will be something about a place or person that I will like. That is what adventure is all about. Looking for the nugget of fun. After going, man, what a relaxing, beautiful, fun place to go! I will always have a special place in for Arkansas in my heart.
We flew in early on a Saturday morning, and just checked out the cute town of Little Rock. We shopped at the little craft fair that is open on the weekends and checked out the cute, oldest part of town across the river. I even got to see the duck parade in the Peabody hotel - what a fun show!
We ended up staying in a gorgeous cabin on Lake Ouachita with a hot tub in the back! I will always remember the beautiful sunset over the lake surrounded by the woods.
The next day we shopped along the streets of Hot Springs and had a super hot, relaxing bath at one of the old bath houses from the natural springs in the area. I think that is when I knew I really like Arkansas! We even got to take a leisurely walk around the beautiful botanical gardens there (I snagged a peacock feather from one of the peacocks there that I use for table decorations), tried some good pork bbq, and checked out the smoky casino.
The next morning came early as we had booked a fishing trip with a superb guide on the lake. I absolutely love fishing, and even more...catching. I like fishing for a few reasons: so peaceful there on a calm lake; relaxing; can chat a bit with good company; you can just be in nature without being "in" nature; and if you get lucky you hook something and your adrenalin kicks in for a bit - plus I like to eat yummy fish. That trip snagged a nice sized big mouth bass, and we called it a day and flew home. Most places I say we have to come back, but seldom do because there are too many other places to see, but I know I will come back to Arkansas - my hot springs cool lake oasis.

Destination Idea - New Orleans, LA

Well this post is a bit late, considering Mardi Gras was well... 3 days ago.

Knowing now I like history/culture I will start off with some concerning Mardi Gras.
Based on their French roots, New Orleans is mainly Catholics, who celebrate Lent, 40 days to reflect on Jesus life while he was on this Earth. I think 40 days is in reference to Jesus being tempted in the desert (victorious of course). During this time, Catholics refrain from some item or thing they do which triggers them to reflect and find their strength on God and not themselves and resist temptation as Jesus did. 40 days before Easter is Mardi Gras which means "Fat Tuesday" in French. This is the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent begins. So, back in the day (when ever that day was), the people would cook up all the fat they had and made sweets and had a party to eat up all the goodies that they had in preparation for Lent.

To what began as a religious holiday, now is what we all know as one of the biggest, craziest parties in the world. Cajuns definitely know their food and how to have some fun even if most have forgotten what the true meaning of Mardi Gras is unfortunately (after you see pictures or experience the festivites you will understand what I mean when I say forgotten its relgious roots). However, I absolutely love the intense and unique culture in New Orleans almost as muchas I enjoy their food. There is no place on the planet in either of these categories (and I have been to alot of places!). The first time I took my Yankee-bred husband there he said, " All we do here is eat, drink, sleep and repeat - I like it though." I had to explain to him that is life in New Orleans. The French truly believe only they live life the way it should be lived, and thier cousin Cajuns max it out for sure.

One of my favorite foods during this time is the King Cake. It is a breaded dessert sometimes filled with cinnamon, jellies, or pudding topped with sugar icing in the Madi Gras colors of purple, gold and green. These colors stand for the three gifts that the Kings gave King Jesus at his birth (Frank incense - signifying holy , gold - to give royalty, and myrrh - which is a burial spice foretelling Jesus death for us all). There is a little plastic baby, Jesus, that is put in the cake. Tradition is that if you end up getting the baby in your slice, you ahve to bring the king cake next year! I could go on and on about the food in New Orleans, but really you cant go wrong. I love gumbo (Cajun style not Creole style), crawfish etuffee, poorboy, bananas foster, catfish, bengiets, cherries jubilee, hurricanes and especially bread pudding! Some of my favorite restaurants are Bon Ton Cafe, 3 Sisters, Hotel Montelone rotating carousel bar, Cafe Du Monde, Mammas, I could go on and on...

Aside the awesome food, during Mardi Gras beautiful parades line the streets. Certain distinguished families have their own "crews" that have balls and then ride the parades. Upstairs in a great restaurant called Arnuad's, there is a free museum where a former owner kept all of her beautiful Mardi Gras gowns and invitations.

Other than food and floats, there are some great things to see for families as well. Check out the Autobahn zoo -(don't skip the swamp section where you will see some white alligators!), the garden district, Jackson square live performances and side walk artists, a ride on the trolley (very famous - almost as old as the San Fran I think), and the awesome aquarium.

Go for a weekend and check it out!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

France Day 7 of 18 - The Pyrenees

On our 7th day, we had a big drive a head of us.
Uncle Map likes beautiful landscapes and was determined to drive through the Pyrenees.
I think it took us about an hour and a half to dive "into" the Pyrenees after driving a while to get to them since you have to drive in and out and around the mountains. We passed cute little streams and some waterfalls as the greenery got thicker. I remembered it seeming so clean and not overgrown. We found a small parking lot where we were able to take a ski lift to a stopping point. At this level we walked around and took some fantastic pictures of the mountains around us and a waterfall. We then got brave and decided to take another ski lift and then hike a bit to a beautiful lake surrounded by mountain peaks. I was not sure if I wanted to go, but then I saw not only a two year old go up, but then a full sized dog get up on the ski lift! Little did I know that a heard of cows had been through the same walking path to lake, so we had to be careful where we stepped! Some French teenagers got brave or dumb depending on how you look at it, and decided to jump into the lake that was well... freezing...we heard some of them yell.
We then decided to head back to the car, to make sure that we had enough daylight to get out of the mountains and to our next hotel. Pretty big day for some non-outdoorsy folk!

France Day 6 of 18 - Biarritz and Bayonne

Biarritz sits on the west coast of France and the views are nothing short of majestic. Seafood is very popular, and we decided to have dinner close enough to shore to hear the massive tide bring in the strong waves. Afterwards, we drove around the rocky shoreline and just watched the lighthouse reveal the beautiful ocean as we listened to the waves.

Biarritz is a beach town where the prominent, well off French go to vacation. We looked around the massive and rich Hotel du Palais which use to be where Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) built a palace on the beach. The beach is littered with families and and people sun tanning, surfing, and having a good time. Beware... the water is still cold!
Biarritz's casino was well.. pretty much a let down after seeing Monte Carlo and Vegas. Granted we went in during the day, but it was very unimpressive. We were, however able to go get some southwest authentic French food that was quite delicious. We ate some type of chicken and fried cheese dish in a restaurant that seemed to be run out of a home which was extremely popular. We were almost completely depending on my French at this time since we were practically the only Americans in the area. At places like these, most people (waitresses excetra don't speak English, and English menus are very rare).

Next we were off to Bayonne which is know for their chocolate. Well, I consider myself a bit of a chocolate connoisseur, so we found the oldest chocolate shop and found a table. I decided to order a chocolate and cinnamon drink, and Uncle Map ordered the basic chocolate drink. A few minutes later, our drinks arrived, mine in a little espresso looking glass with a full glass of water that came with it. I was somewhat disappointed as Uncle Map's drink was a full cup. Then I sipped mine....good grief!!! this was the most intense chocolate experience I have ever had! One sip and then I had to gulp down some water. Whoa!I was determined to try to finish my little espresso cup, but after about an hour, I finally gave up. Yes, this was the only chocolate that beat Aunt Venture.

The we decided to check out Saint Jean de Luz. This quaint fishing village was where Louis XIV, (the sun king which was very important to France and which you will hear about later in my blog) was married to the young girl at the time Maria-Teresa, of Spain in 1660 which tried to unite the countries. We visited the church where they were married and saw the wall that was built up over the door they left out of so that on one else could leave through those doors again. Most notable about this town was the extraordinary macaroons that I could not get enough of!

Destination Idea - Nazareth, Israel

When I was trying to decide what to post this special Christmas week, I knew it had to be our trip to Nazareth, Israel. Of all of the places we have been around this remarkable world, this by far touched me the most. Most people think that back in biblical times people lived in homes built above the ground, but most of them that lived in small remote communities really lived in cave like dwellings. We were able to see the old biblical town of Nazareth where just a few families lived over 2000 years ago.

It was then I understood what the Romans and Jews really meant when they referred to Jesus as “Jesus of Nazareth”. They were basically saying, “Jesus of not even a one stop light town – and this guy from the middle of nowhere is going to save the world?” What a humble and patient God. He knew the power that would be revealed; he knew the plan that would save even those that mocked him.

Words nor pictures can describe the peaceful but overwhelming experience of walking into this place where it is believed that Mary lived when the angel came to tell her she would birth God’s Son, Emanuel – which means “God is with us”. What a small quaint rocky place, but this place is where it all began. This place is where an angel came. This place is where Mary was shown a piece of the plan. Wow. Can you try to imagine? Even more exhilarating, this place is where the spirit of God came down to become flesh to save me. To save you. What a holy place. My spirit knew that. I wanted to stay there all day and night. So peaceful. So calm. So secure to know that God finally gave man a peek of his plan and to know it would come to fruition. Some groups were singing hymns in another language I did not know, but I think my soul was singing as well.

I will try to remember during this special season this place and that God has a plan. I may not know every detail of it, but I know his plans are great and good and will happen and most of all more perfect than I could ever imagine.

Destination Idea - AZ

Cold during Christmas? Warm up in AZ!

Start your long weekend in Phoenix. Go shopping and eat in the old quaint western part part of town. Enjoy the beautiful views around you. Baseball junkies know it is the place to be for spring training, and if you go after, you can get great deals on resorts. We highly recommend the Hyatt. They have tons of interlinking pools with waterfalls and desert cliff views for those who want to relax. And for the active sports enthusiasts, there are plenty of hiking and biking trails.

Not too far away is beautiful Sedona. Sedona has tons of activities for all levels. Hiking, jeep excursions, shopping, or just driving around to take in the views. I bought a beautiful western jacket in a boutique there that I love to wear.

Just about an hour away, down a beautiful drive full of camp sites and scenic views is Flagstaff. There a a great pita place we ate.We then took a little nice drive on the famous route 66. While we were eating I asked how far we were from the Grand Canyon. Since it was just an hour and a 20 min away I said we had to go! Our leisurely vacation then went out the door!

After taking in the grand canyon sites, I was not as impressed as I thought I would be. Was it because I had made it bigger in my mind? Was it because the weather wasn't too clear? I could help but think the Kauai Wayamea Canyon was much prettier, not as big, but it has vibrant colors. As we were taking pictures of the sunset over the canyon, Uncle Map was staring at his phone. "What is going on?" I asked. He then informed me that he did not see a gas station the whole way from Flagstaff, and he was worried about our gas level. His GPS said that there was one 40 miles away,and our car showed we had about 30 miles to empty. It was then I realized how desolate and dark the desert is and started thinking about what wildlife was out and about. Uncle Map did all he could to coast down any hills and we turned off the a/c. Panic rose when the car showed 0 miles to empty and the trusty GPS said we were still a few miles away from the closest gas station even though we didn't see any evidence of human existence anywhere. Then I saw a soft glow in the distance.... we held our breath as we rolled into the gas station. I never fully appreciated how truly dependent we are on civilization! Our grand canyon trip got really close to a true desert wilderness experience!
So in short, go visit AZ, but always keep a full gas tank!

France Day 5 of 18 - Bordeaux Vineyards

As mentioned in my previous post, I took French a very very very long temp ago...
After talking with a friend who is sommelier, and browsing through a French vineyard catalog, I personally wrote to about 20 grand cru vineyards (majority in French) asking to set up a tour for the day that we would be in the region. Granted it was harvest season, very busy time for a vineyard to give tours, but only one responded yes.

A little history for those of you who like historical random facts:
Back in 1855, Napoleon II demanded that the French vineyards be classified (since all seemed great). This classification differentiated the premier grand cru (great first growth wines) which there are only 6 today (majority from the Medoc region in Margeaux in Bordeaux, the duexieme crus ect ect. There are only 66 classified as grand cru wines (great growths). After these classifications, the vineyard that got a classification of grand cru and especially premier or duexieme status were set for life. Since that classification, I do not think a wine had jumped up a level (maybe one - some may argue that it was a huge political reason act). In short, premier wines are tres tres expensive due to their status, duexiem are tres expensive and so on and so on. The good thing is even some of the ones that did not have a superb classification are excellent wines that you can get for practically nothing. Now you see why it was hard to get a private tour.

Now back to the blog - so we felt extremely lucky that one vineyard -Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou which is in the Sait - Julien region (which has 11 of the 66 1855 classifications) along the Girone estuary (which keeps the perfect atmosphere for the wines dry but access to water). It is 25 miles northwest of Bordeaux in Haut Medoc between Margaux and Pauillac. The vineyard is named after the stones in the ground that contribute to its flavor. It is also still owned by a family and not a well well known company like Channel.

We were able to get a private tour of the vineyard, cellars and a wine tasting. We even ended up buying a bottle of their cru in our wedding year. What a fascinating experience. Thanks to our friends at Ducru Beaucaillou for being such great hosts! We also bought about two cases of wine to get shipped back to the states to drink at their "premium" time. Shipping from Margaux saved us at least 3 levels of mark ups.
We even had time to do a quick tour of Saint Emellion, after taking a lovely leisurely boat trip, which was more of a touristy wine town.

France Day 4 of 18 - Ribeauville and Bordeaux

That morning we woke up early in Colmar and drove to Ribeauville which is on the "Route de Vin." One day a year they have a wine harvesting festival where they turn their small village fountain into a wine fountain!! The streets were crowed with lively medieval characters from monks who cut their hair to girls that were dressed as vines! Cheery bands played and wine vendors lined the streets. What a unique place to be! Floats were lined up just outside the village, preparing for their debut at the end of the day. The floats and characters almost put Mardi Gras experiences to shame. Empty wine bottles surrounded the floats and it wasn't even 10 am yet(secretly I was glad that we were leaving before the parade)! After enjoying the people watching and the sweet white wine, we headed out just after 10 am to the airport for Bordeaux (another wine region, but completely different ambiance.
When we landed in Bordeaux, we decided to check out the city right away and have dinner. The building that surround Bordeaux are magnificent white places built to hide the less visual builings on the interior.

Bordeaux is a bustling big city with nice walkways full of shops and businesses. I had planned to eat some traditional French cuisine from the region and even had a spot picked out, but after the celebration that morning, the overpriced exotic food on the menu did not seem appetizing. In fact, the pizza place down the street did! So, that is where we ended up - just to save cultural face, I did try a pasta dish that included some local French mushrooms that were delicious!

Destination Idea - Park City, Utah

Park City Utah is a wonderful long weekend get-a-way point. An ideal time to go is just when a few slopes are open (end of November) so that you can get a great deal on cabins that are apart of resorts. We got a cabin on the outskirts of the Hotel Park City. It was absolutely gorgeous! We had our own living room, kitchen, bedroom, two baths and don't forget the private hot tub outside! Sitting by the fire with the snow falling all around while Christmas music is playing on the Bose stereo will really put you in the mood!

Shopping on cute main street is a must. There is also a large outlet mall near by the Olympic slalom. We recommend going to Squatters (great food and brewery - order the Polygamy Porter - funny name in the region, but actually a tasty beer).
One fun thing to do is to drive to Montage for lunch (about 15 minutes from Park City). The food is amazing - especially the burger, and the view are nothing short of awe inspiring. Make sure to bring a camera, as you can't take a bad picture. For sure you will take some mental ones!
Basically there is something for everyone, (calm and relaxing or athletic skiing) and the surroundings are surreal.

France Trip - Day 3 of 18 "Alsalce -Route de Vin"

Our third day in France we drove the beautiful Route de Vin which stretches from Strasbourg to just past Colmar (no more than ~20 miles). As we drove through rolling hills covered beautiful vineyards that were screaming to be harvested, we stopped at adorable German looking villages that had a distinct French flair. As we drove we made a game of spotting castles on the hilltops. What a unique place to visit! Each town was gorgeous and had plenty of local wine to try from Rieslings to Gewurztraminer. Beautiful colored flowers hung in baskets out each window of the German style houses. Kaysersberg had a cute craft fair with a meandering stream that ran through the town. We ate crepes in the most visited town in France outside of Paris, a walled city called Riquewihr. The main drag was full of small cute shops with German/French knickknacks to buy as souvenirs. It even had a Kate Wofhart shop (German Christmas Heaven)! We ended the day in Colmar. What a wonderful picturesque day!

Destination Idea - Kentucky

We recently visited our close friends who moved to Kentucky.
Continental was matching a 72 hour Southwest birthday special that ran at the beginning of the summer which allowed you to travel any where within 500 miles for $40 etc.
(Travel planning tip: Check out other carriers when someone is doing a special to see if there is a match that works better for you.)

Travel for Two Top Ten Reasons to Visit Kentucky at the Beginning of October:

10. Stay at an old historic hotel - Browns Hotel was known in the early 1900s as the place to be in Louisville. The decor and old memorabilia is quite interesting to see. The rooms are spacious too.

9.See a bit of history - tour honest Abe's birth place. It is amazing they don't have this little cabin preserved better.

8. The weather is ideal. It is nice and cool but lovely in the sun.
The leaves are starting to change color.

7. Drive through the beautiful rolling hills with the windows rolled down or better yet in a convertible. Beautiful birds and wildlife are all around - we saw cardinals, blue jays, and beautiful deer to name a few.

6. Its that time of year - Baseball play offs - Tour the Louisville Slugger museum - you can see the factory, which bats are about to be shipped out for the play off major league sluggers, and even get to hold some famous bats that have been used. We are Major baseball fans, but I think this museum is fun for everyone.

5. If it gets a little to chilly (or even if it isn't), take a bourbon tour to warm you up. Woodford Reserve is nothing short of excellent. Only $5 and you can tour this small distillery and taste this sweet buttery goodness from a bottle that the one and only Kentucky Derby calls its own. A souvenir bottle is only $43 with a personalized plaque.

4. Lyn's Paradise Cafe in Louisville - many food network stars have stopped by... I highly recommend the Cinnamon swirl french toast with bourbon custard topped with chocolate, strawberries and whipped cream. nuff said.

3. Horse races are starting up - Keenland is in Lexington quite beautiful track. Even if there is not a race scheduled for the weekend, take a stroll around the area and try to see the horses warm up between 6-10 am.

2. There is always another bourbon tour to go on...

1. Kentucky is perfect for visiting friends and making memories on a short weekend getaway!


 Top Ten Reasons to Visit Kentucky in Spring:

So I went back to good 'ol Kentucky in spring. This time my father was my companion.  so I decided to do a top 5 reasons for visit in Kentucky in the spring!
5. Churchill Downs is a must.  The perfect weather is ideal to take a tour.  You get the run down (no pun intended) on the fastest sport in the usa. From rules and legends to heros. Your apreciation on this fine taste for gambling will be enhanced guaranteed. I particularly enjoyed the glass replica of the track, the portrait wall of jockeys and trainers,  the long list of winners and thier stories (especially secraitariat), how the horses get thier names and most of all the view from upstairs. I told the guide what my favorite spot was and he told me that was the very place Queen Elizabeth stood to watch the derby! I always knew I had exquisite taste!
4. Baseball baseball baseball. Catch a college game if you can.
3. Appreciate that there is a starbucks and jimmy johns on every corner in loiusville. Some how I missed this the first go around.  ?
2. If you think you are missing out on the fall/winter weather ... you might get a taste like we did... freak ice and snow storm over night!  Woodford reserve bourbon (my favorite ) will keep you warm!
1. Bowling Green. Nuff said. "Your dreams are made in Bowling Green!" Pick up your custom corvette there! Warning: If you don't drive a chevy they might make you park a few miles away from the museum. VIP tour of the factory is a must as it is any gear head's Disneyworld! I talked to the guy on the line that puts on the steering wheel and the guide told me. .. "now you have meet the nut behind the wheel! " if you pay enought they will let you build your own engine!
Next is the museum. Speechless. Did you know the original vette logo had an American flag as the corvette is deemed as "America's sports car"! Turns out you can t claim the American flag as a marketing logo so they had to change it.
We just happened to go at the time that they were pulling out one of the most priceless Corvettes (black 62)  out of the sinkhole that swallowed 8 vettes two weeks before. Yes I think I was on the discovery channel as they were shooting live footage.  Don't ask me why they decided to build the nations best sports car facility in a sinkhole ridden area or the nation's gold reserves that matter.

France Day 1 and 2 of 18 "Alsalce -Strasbourg"

So I haven't blogged in a while, but with good excuse.... We took our trip to France!
Unfortunately my family has a traveling curse. This curse involves weird things happening on trips, but things usually end up good.
This trip started off shaky as I got in a car accident with a little ol' lady the day before we left when I went to get luggage...
It was super hot outside and the old lady turned out to be a real pill.
Needed less to say it took a couple days to unwind.
We had a friend take us to the airport which was nice not to have to pay parking for 18 days. The flight there was not bad at all.
We flew direct to Frankfurt via Lufthansa on points. They include a bus ride to Strasbourg. We like Lufthansa since they are very clean, detailed, and know where your baggage is at all times.
Our tv didn't work, and after trying to reboot a few times, the airline attendant offered us some euros to spend on the in flight magazine.

We took advantage of our brief time at the airport by going to our favorite chain German pastry place, Kamps. Germans rock at making the yummiest pastries. My hubbie snuck in a pretzel too. We slept on the bus which was a "no no" making our time adjustment a bit harder.

Strasbourg was absolutely beautiful and cute. We walked all around France's "little France." I enjoyed this town much more than I thought I would. After seeing ornate churches all over Europe, I was not expecting to enjoy Strasbourg's church as much as I did. It had an interesting astronomical clock inside.

We picked up our car and headed for Obernai which is the first town on the Route de Vin. This adorable walled city had a beautiful square, church, and well where we took lots of pictures. We learned here that The French like carosels in their towns. This cute town even has a WWII plack explaining when it was liberated. The Alsace region has been fought over by the French an Germans for centuries. The Germans specifically spared some towns from war destruction on the Route de Vin because they liked them so much. These towns resemble German towns, but have a French flair.

To end the day, we were referred to a restaurant called "Tete du Lard."
I told the waitress,"it was funny since your restaurant name translates to "fat head."
She told me that was their specialty... Pig's head....
And so our French adventure began......

Bidding Goggles

If you have ever bought a hotwire.com hotel you should be pretty familiar with the how the system goes, but I will explain it for everyone else.

As Hotwire.com ad's mention when hotels have unsold rooms they give them to Hotwire to liquidate at reduced prices.

So 4 star hotels in New Orleans for 2 star prices.

But where is the Catch? If everyone knew that great hotels would drop their prices in half weeks before a check-in the entire supply-demand principal would collapse.

So yes there is a catch....

Below I have shown some of the zones that hotwire uses in New Orleans. You are given the choice of a hotel in La Place, New Orleans East, Airport Area, Downtown / French Quarter and last Harvey. Assuming you are a tourist you would like to probably stay in the French Quarter, but the French Quarter, Business District, and the Garden Distric are all in one zone. (Some cities are better zoned).

Once you have chosen a location they will make 2 or 3 offers for either a 3 star, 4 star or 5 star hotel with a higher price as you work up to the 5 star level. They will tell you just a couple of key facts about your hotel such as if it has a restaurant, gym, pool or laundry service to name a few and sometimes they will tell you if the hotel has a high approval rating on Tripadvisor.com (one of my favorite websites for all travel needs.

That's it, a 2 - 4 sq mile proximity, hotel class, and a few amenities. Once you have given them your money and agreed to the price they will reveal your hotel to you.

Hotwire is a good way to save 20-50% on hotels prices on any other website. I recently used them multiple times in Paris because due to conventions the city was really booked and rooms were very limited driving prices of a 3 star hotels to ~ $300 a night. Using hotwire I was able to go up a category (4 star) and save some money as well, have a safe, nice, clean upscale hotel room.

Although I like hotwire, sometimes not all hotels are created equal, It would be really nice to know what hotel I was agreeing to before they took my money. You could get the hotel on the far side of town away from everything that just got downgraded to a 3 star ect... so I came across a great website that fixes that for you. http://www.bidgoggles.com/

By going to this website and launching their application, it will open http://www.hotwire.com/ along with a decoder screen. Put in the City, Dates, and Star Level, then Hotwire will provide a "nameless" 4 star hotel with certain amenities (pool, gym ect.) put that data into bidgoggles.com and they will give you a short list of hotels (hopefully 1 ) that meat that criteria. Once you have the short list go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/ compare the "tripadvisor rating" from hotwire and tripadvisor.com to see if you can find a match. If you like the hotel BOOK IT. This is a great way to get great rooms for a lot cheaper then anywhere on the net.

Baggage Claim

This past week we were thinking about which baggage we wanted to bring on our trip to France, and I thought this would be a good topic for blogging.
We have tried every which way of baggage.... let me give you a recap.

Tahiti: Packed one huge cloth bag with wheels - we waited at baggage claim for a long time and never saw our bag?!?, but we did see a garbage bag that was duct taped up that no one had claimed. After everyone picked up all the bags, we went over to the garbage bag and duct tape ball, opened it up and sure enough it was our bag inside.

Lesson Learned: Don't trust cheap cloth with a big bag in an overseas flight, and never underestimate the duct taped bag that keeps going around and around....

Italy: Decided to pack 2 smaller bags. Took an Air Italia Flight (only 40 min flight from Rome to Nice...) Bags never made it. Still not sure how that happened. I don't think they even were put on the plane! We ended up backpacking across Italy not intending too (I think it was 14 days without our bags?)... I spent hours arguing with the baggage claim lady in Naples, who did not feel like helping. She kept telling me " you are American so you must call the US office to help you." Wow. My husband had to hold me back. I ended up just saying calmly, "Let me see the lost luggage room." She finally showed me and it wasn't there, so I asked to see the next room. It wasn't there either. I asked to see the next room, and she answered that was all of the rooms, but after seeing the lost luggage line, I insisted that there was another room, and sure enough, she finally showed me.... and there they were. After months of negotiating about the cost incurred while backpacking across Italy, I finally got a check for ~ $128.32 from them. I think I still have it, and am going to frame it.

Lesson Learned: There is always another lost baggage room in Italy!
Also, I have small carry on bag that can be worn on the side, as a back pack or actually put around me in front. I keep all essentials in this bag I need to survive if my luggage never comes. This bag can be unloaded during the trip and used trekking around for anything anywhere.
Consider taking a picture of what is in your luggage before you zip it up. This is easier to have proof if something happens.


China: I packed a bag that can zip up into a small 5" square patch into my larger bag. I put all of my travel treasures in this bag and bring it on the plane with me home to ensure nothing brakes.

Lesson Learned: Pack a carry on collapsible bag for souvenirs. Make a copy of your passport especially if you are going to a country that would like a passport. Never have your passport and your copy in the same bag.

Verona, Italy: We went to see a opera in an old Roman Colosseum. My hubby went to take a picture of the beautiful site, and when we went to go inside... no tickets.
He had put them in his back pocket to take the picture, and ... gone that fast. Never felt a thing. I think we ended up buying the same exact tickets twice. :(

Lesson Learned: Front Pocket Wallets - This is a must for guys. They are shaped like a front pocket to make wearing them comfortable as well as safe while still organizing things you want to keep on you with you.
Money Belts: Tried this too... This is just for emergency because we could only fit one paper bill in there!

Los Cabos: We bought a souvenier ceramic tequila decanter in the airport thinking we would carry it on home to ensure it was safe. What we didn't know was since we had to switch planes and we were coming from a different country, they make you go through customs at the stopping airport, and they insisted that we had to check the decanter since it had a small bit of tequila in it. We smelled our luggage before we saw it...and my beautiful decanter was broken.

Lesson learned: Tequila smell eventually comes out. Down your tequila before going through customs.... Then you can bring your decanter with you, and you will know your tequila will be in good keeping too.

Chile: My hubby wanted to maximize the amount of wine he wanted to bring home from this famous wine region of the world. When he came home he only had (4) bottles in a wine carring case (the max they would let him bring). I told him I was sorry he couldn't bring more home. He just smiled and opened his luggage. I took out a very heavy rolled pair of pants. Sure enough there was a bottle of wine in them. We ended up with (20 bottles).

Lesson learned: My husband is lucky and strong. I would have not risked my wardrobe on some wine, but I am sure glad he did. Oh, and clothes can be used as bubble wrap substitute. (Note: this was attempted before the tequila incident.)

As you can see, we are still figuring the whole baggage thing out.
I did have a fear of checking luggage for a while (tried to pack every thing in carry-ons), but after seeking help at Carry - Ons Anonymous, I am getting better.

Good luck packing!

Destination Idea - Tolum, Mexico

Destination Idea

Tolum, Mexico (Just south of Cancun)

Beautiful Beaches, and Mayan Ruins
This is a great place to visit some Mayan Ruins, without the crowds at Chitzeniza (one of the largest and most popular Mayan Ruins). Bring a bathing suit as you might want to go swimming in the picture purfect waters below. No wonder the Mayans set up camp here! Wouldn't you? Travel tip: If you pack your own lunch with lots of cool water- which we reccomend, beware of bold Mayan birds who will try to take your food right out of your hand!

Destination Idea - New York

So with all the talk of debt, and financial crisis I thoght I would point out a picture from a trip a couple years ago to New York City.

Southwest just opened a new route to Newark from Houston, so there are lots of sub $200 flight deals out there which is especially good for a summer fare.

Tip: Reserve a ticket ahead of time, to go inside the statue liberty, otherwise you will just have to wonder the grounds till the next ferry comes. Link

Food: Grimaldi's pizza under the Brooklyn Bridge, worth the wait Link (p.s. there are locations across the US including (Arizona, Flordia, Las Vegas, & Texas so you can get a sneak peak before you go)