10 posts tagged “travel”
After a slog through driving, chilly rain, we arrived soaked to the bone. It costs 15 Euros (I guess around $US20) apiece to get in and, frankly, the exhibit on how the stuff is made was pretty lame. Up at the top of the building there's a bar that has some pretty spectacular views of the city, even on a cloudy rainy day. There you can enjoy your 'complimentary' (i.e., 15 Euro) pint.
We decided to have lunch in the cafe. I just had soup and sandwiches but my wife, who's a relatively light eater, ordered the beef and Guinness stew. This was a massive plate of stew topped with mashed potatoes. She ate what she could and asked to take the rest home. The waiter told her that it was company policy that no food should leave the premises since someone once took food home and got sick and sued the company. My wife was obviously a bit peeved - not at the waiter but at the stupid policy - and, when it came time to clear the table and bring our check he wouldn't even come back to our table but sent someone else. My wife asked her if he was too scared to come back and she said 'A bit'. (I swear to my sons that she did nothing untoward.....)
I finally had to walk up to the waiter's station to get someone to take my credit card. She asked me if everything was all right and I explained what had happened. She said that unless you went to a take-out shop, they don't have takeaway containers 'over here', although it's 'apparently quite popular in America', a somewhat different explanation than the waiter's.
I think the real explanation is that over here in 'socialist Europe' what you buy doesn't really belong to you at all. (JK)
Anyway, overpriced and disappointing. But the first real complaint we've had after two weeks on the road. We'll give Dublin another chance tomorrow.
The Mrs. and I are planning to spend most of the month of April Aught-Nine in London and Dublin. Here's the plan:
1 Apr - arrive at London Gatwick on the red-eye from PHL
1 Apr - 13 Apr - London, London, London.... maybe a few day trips here and there
13 Apr - Hop on a train at Euston Station for a journey across the south of England and into Wales. Pick up the ferry across the Irish Sea at Holyhead. Arrive in Dun Laoghaire near Dublin.
13 Apr - 21 April - Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Guinness, Guinness, Guinness etc.
22 Apr - Depart Dublin for PHL
We've already booked our flights and are in the process of booking this great looking "penthouse apartment". Incredibly, the apartment rental is going to come to something like $US130 per night which is amazing compared to hotel rooms in London. We're planning on doing the apartment thing in Dublin as well.
So since this is our first visit to either place, I'd be interested to hear any advice, comments, caveats, "must-sees", "don't-bothers", etc. than any of you might have.
Just returned this past Tuesday from an extra-long weekend at the MGM Grand. Son Steve and partner Bryan came out from LA for the weekend and it was great to just hang out together.
- Little did we know that on Saturday night the hotel's 17,000 seat arena was going to be the scene of the Cotto-Margherito welterweight championship fight. The place was packed. Cotto is Puerto Rican, Margherito Mexican, so by Friday night we felt like we were the only two people in the hotel speaking English. Lots of guys parading around draped in flags. My wife said, though, that whenever she was on the elevator with a bunch of macho-looking guys, they were invariably more polite than anyone else. "You go first, Mommy." (For the record, Margherito apparently kicked the shit out of Cotto.)
- Steve had a Mike Tyson spotting on Sunday morning.
- We went to the Sunday Brunch at the Bellagio. Made the mistake of arriving at noon which meant an hour and a half wait in line, made worse by the obnoxious morons in front of us and behind. It may be the best brunch on the Strip, but it's not worth that kind of wait. When we left there were only a couple dozen people in line.
- We stayed at the Luxor the last time we were in Vegas, which was pretty nice. One of the main reasons we chose the MGM Grand this time was their touting of their great pool complex with five different pools. What they failed to mention was that, at any given time, two or three of them were CLOSED! That was my only real complaint, but since we were on East Coast time, we usually got to spend a few hours at the pool early in the morning before it got too crowded.
- The temperature hovered at around 107 F. during the day while we were there. The old cliche about 'dry heat' is true - it's much less oppressive than hot, humid days at home. One night I heard the TV weatherman complaining that the humidity had risen to 9%. Ha!
- The corridor where our room was was absolutely freezing cold. How much must it cost to pump that much (unnecessary) cold air into the hotel when it's 107 outside? And why isn't every rooftop in Vegas covered with solar panels?
- If you ever get to the MGM, seek out the West Wing Bar. It's way off in a distant corner of the hotel, far from the casino floor. It's kind of dark and quiet and there are little sofa and coffee table arrangements where you can have a little private space. We all met there for drinks on Saturday night. One of the most pleasant times of the weekend. And, unbeknownst to us when we walked in, it was Happy Hour so we got Twofer drinks! Perfect.
- We're not big gamblers. Just fooled around on the slots. I was doing pretty well early on and for the first couple of days was mostly playing with their money. Ended up down less than $100 which is not bad considering the hours we spent on the machines over five days.
- I'm glad we don't have In 'n' Out Burger in the East. It's always a treat to have a Double-Double "Animal Style" whenever we visit LA or Vegas. Plus the restaurant near the Strip has a merchandise store attached, so I was able to replace my old, faded In 'n' Out t-shirt with a brand spankin' new one!
I posted back in February about Cayamo '08, the cruise we took with Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, Patti Griffin, Buddy Miller, et. al.
Well Sixthman has just posted the dates and itinerary for Cayamo '09. Somewhat surprisingly, the lineup looks about the same so far, with the conspicuous absence of Emmylou. Lyle and the others are apparently on board, though. (Pun intended.)
I really wasn't thinking about doing the cruise again next year anyway. I might have been tempted by a different lineup but, as great as it was, I'm definitely not interested in seeing exactly the same artists we saw this year.
But I thought I'd post just in case anyone might be interested. I can vouch for a wonderful time and great music, up close and personal.
Just arrived in Chesapeake Va after the first leg of our annual trip to beautiful here.
Looking forward to two weeks of fried, fresh-off-the-boat flounder and scallops, hush puppies, NC barbecue, fried green tomatoes, pimento spread, chili dogs and Bunny Bread. Oh, and that rocking chair on the porch overlooking the ocean and that large bag of books in the trunk of the car.
Tomorrow we head down Route 17 through The Great Dismal Swamp.
I've never been on a cruise and never had much desire to take one. But Number One Son turned me on to Cayamo when he was home recently for his brother's wedding.
This six-day cruise, next February, is going to feature a whole slew of great singer-songwriters who will be performing on board throughout the week. The lineup includes Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, Patti Griffin, John Hiatt, Buddy Miller, Brandi Carlisle, and a host of other lesser-known and up-and-coming artists.
This will be taking place aboard the Carnival Victory, and sailing from Miami to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
We didn't know too much about pricing at the time, but assumed it would be out of sight. It turns out, though, that the cheapest cabins - interior cabins on the lowest deck - are only around $800 per person, which includes the cruise, all your food, and all the entertainment. Of course getting to Miami and back is an additional expense but flights to Florida, especially from the US East Coast, are pretty cheap.
So anyway, we've booked it. Being old folks, my wife and I sprung for a better cabin. But even a balcony cabin on one of the upper decks, was only around $1200 apiece. Definitely something to look forward to!
So today we're wrapping up a great week at Casa Delfin, Akumal Norte. Before I embark on one last day of intense slug-like behavior, I thought I'd compose at least one post from Mexico. Aside from the usual cliches - great weather, friendly people, blue Caribbean water - here are some random thoughts and events from the week.
I can't remember the last time I've seen the stars this intensely bright.
They are very environmentally conscious here. You are not even allowed to put toilet paper into the toilet, but must dispose of it in the trash. This adds a certain spice to life. Luckily, each bedroom here has its own bathroom, and the trash is emptied every day.
On the Mexican highways, the signs politely ask you to reduce your speed. Then a few hundred meters down the road there is a speed bump that forces you to come to a nearly complete stop or risk going airborne.
Every Sunday there's a barbeque in a little shack on the beach called Casa Cenote, apparently run by an ex-pat Texan. The location is great, the country music is terrible ("Kiss My Country Ass", "I Can't Be With a Woman Who Gets Drunker Than Me"), and the brisket is fabulous. I also think that more American restaurants should have big, lazy dogs lying in the middle of the dining room floor. It adds such atmosphere.
They sell hot sauce here in quart plastic bottles, the way we sell water.
Snorkelling in the Yal-Ku Lagoon is fantastic.
I think this would be a cheap place to live. We bought a couple of days worth of groceries for six people along with copious amounts of liquor and beer and the bill came to $US 158.
There is a Mexican gin called Karat which, at $US 5 per liter, is quite serviceable.
Lizards eat moths.
They have lots of cute little cars here, many made by US companies. Why don't we have them at home?
There is a Sam's Club in Playa del Carmen.
The big super market in Playa sells chicken feet, has beautiful seafood, and peppers, peppers, peppers.
I had one of the best meals I've had in a long time at a little Italian place called Que Onda, about 100 yds down the road from our villa, sitting outdoors under a thatched roof, seemingly in the middle of the jungle. As we approached the restaurant on foot, we saw a guy actually cranking out the fresh pasta by the back door. I had linguini Maribel style, with shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, ginger, and some Thai sauce. An unforgettable meal.
Swimming in the flourescent blue-green water at Tulum, with the Mayan ruins doing lifeguard duty on the cliffs above.
Been busy the last few days. Back to work and getting ready to head out Saturday for a week in Mexico.
The next post you read here may be posted from the beautiful Villa Akumal aka Casa Delfin on the Yal Ku lagoon. That is, if I can post from a hammock!
See you there.
