Spend Christmas in France
Why we skipped Christmas at home in favor of the Christmas markets in Colmar and the Alsace region of France.
Skipping Christmas
When planning this trip, I found very little information about the logistics of being in another country over the actual Christmas holiday. Burning questions like “Will the trains be running,” or “How will we feed ourselves?” These are some of the important details that many bloggers seem to fail at answering because they traveled near the time of Christmas but not actually over the holiday itself. For those of you seeking answers, look no further, I have information for you!
To begin, Christmas is my favorite holiday; the food, the colors, the smells, and the sounds fill me with joy each year when I get to untangle my tree garland and cut out cookies that I’ll lose enthusiasm to decorate after the first two. That said, it often gets co-opted by obligations, reciprocal gift-giving, and spending money that hurts for months afterward. None of these later things are in keeping with what I enjoy most about the holiday season. For Christmas 2023, we decided to say “F*** it," and we left town.
With my mother-in-law in tow (It would NOT be Christmas if she were not with us), we packed our bags and boarded a plane on December 21st, bound for Zurich Switzerland.
Our First European Christmas Vacation
If you saw my posts about spending New Year 2022 in Salzburg Austria you might know that I’ve been obsessing over the opportunity to see more Christmas markets in Europe. I’ve been compiling a mental list of the length of my arm of the various trinkets and holiday bobbles I wanted to acquire, so when the time came to pounce, I was ready.
It’s important to know that when planning a visit to the holiday markets in Europe, many of them occur during Advent and conclude before Christmas Day.
However, after much research into the various markets, the cities hosting them, proximity to airports, and a variety of other factors, we determined that of the markets staying open the longest, the Alsace region of France, and most specifically, Colmar, was the place for us. Offering six markets that stayed open until December 28th, which offered us the flexibility to take our time and not have to rush through the markets right before closing for the season.
Another bonus to this location was the classic holiday ambiance baked into staying in a medieval city. Half-timbered houses line the narrow, car-free streets, leaving you feeling as though you are a character in a Charles Dickens novel. Adding to the overall holiday “vibe,” the Alsace region has been under the control of both Germany and France several different times, which has left a distinct impression on the area. People speak both languages, the food is mainly cheese and pretzel-based, and Walt Disney used Colmar as the inspiration for the tiny village that Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) was from.
Holiday Travel Logistics -
Unlike being at home in your own house over a major holiday, there are many logistical factors that need to be considered when traveling abroad. Things like getting your morning coffee, what will be open, how will you actually spend the day. I’m not an expert, but here’s what I can tell you about what Christmas Day was like in Colmar, France.
*An important detail to note, is the transit system has reduced operation on Christmas Eve, no service on Christmas Day, and again, limited service the day after. Make sure that you don’t have to get anywhere that requires more than your own two feet unless you want to deal with a rental car.
What was open on Christmas:
The Christmas market! That’s right, they all opened, including the food vendors within the markets. That said, the regular shops and most restaurants were closed on Christmas Day and the day after. On Christmas Eve, we made a grocery run and got everything we might need for a couple of days, not knowing that we would have options available to us. However, being that most food at the markets was savory or novelty, it was good to be able to make our own breakfast at our Airbnb.
What was there to do on Christmas:
For several years we have made it a point to book a photographer to take nice photos of us on vacation, this trip was no different. I found a photographer on Instagram (her profile can be found here) and reserved her services probably six months in advance of our trip (we reserved a time slot for on Christmas Eve morning). Later that day things started shutting down earlier than normal, with the exception being the holiday markets. We ate dinner at one of the main food tents and then rode the Ferris wheel that was setup nearby and then later that night, (a special activity worth considering) we attended a holiday service at the main church in town, which was a midnight Christmas service., As was expected, the service was totally in French (no one in my party speaks fluently), but they also sang the same classic Christmas songs that we know in our native English, which was very comforting. We’re not frequent church goers, but we greatly enjoyed opportunity to experience a service in one of the many beautiful old churches of Europe.
On Christmas Day, we slept in, made coffee and ate day-old pastries that we had picked up the day before. Back home, we would have opened gifts and then had the television on a continuous loop of holiday movies, but we didn’t find that this was an available option to us on French television, not that we would have been able to understand them any way. Given the time difference, we waited until early afternoon to start making calls back to our loved ones in the US, and then we got dressed and spent the rest of the day roaming around the markets and people watching.
What I bought at the Colmar Christmas Markets
This information may not be of any interest to you, but I was super eager to know what might be available to me before experiencing the markets for myself.
Every market is slightly different (Colmar had six or seven), each with a slightly different emphasis, some had more wine vendors, others offered more children-focused items, while still, others had more hand-crafted decorations. The thing we noticed is that while the overall “theme” of each market was slightly different, the mix of vendors was largely the same at each, so don’t feel that if you missed purchasing something at one market that you’ll not have another opportunity to purchase something similar from a different vendor, there are lots of very similar products and vendors.
With that in mind, hand-painted crockery is the signature item for the Alsace region, you’ll see it everywhere. Beautifully glazed and brightly colored, you’ll find platters, bowls, tureens, teapots, and various other baking dishes covered in patterns consisting largely of hearts and storks (both are heavily used symbols in this area). For our part, we purchased a beautiful blue platter and a small matching crock, but the platter broke into a million pieces on our way home.
Some of the other items that I crammed into my luggage included two springle cookie presses, an embossed rolling pin, one cookie cutter (for the springle presses), a nutcracker, several tree ornaments, two ceramic tabletop village houses, a wooden candle pyramid, and two embroidered table runners. Unfortunately, I failed to take pictures of any of these items during purchase, and are already packed away for the year.
Reflections And Things to Know:
Opting out of gift-giving and much of the other "normal" responsibilities of the Holidays allowed me to just relax and enjoy the season. That said, having skipped Christmas and gone to France, here are a few key takeaways:
Did I spend less money by going on the trip rather than buying gifts?
No. I probably spent more money. The cost of flights so near any major holiday is significantly more expensive than normal and the same is true for accommodations, our Airbnb was triple the nightly rate of what it charges the majority of the year.
Did I feel like I “missed out” by not being at home and seeing more of my family for the holiday?
Also No. This might have been different if we had gone somewhere tropical or someplace that wasn’t so Christmas-oriented, even our Airbnb host had thoughtfully decorated the apartment for us. Stripping back so much of what has become “normal” Christmas stuff made me feel some of the magic I felt as a kid before I had responsibilities.
Did I enjoy the Christmas Markets as much as I thought I would?
This one is tough, but I have to say yes, but with a caveat. I loved the markets, but as someone who struggles with crowds, staying so near to the markets, thereby engaging with the crowds every day for a week, was too much for me. I liked being able to go more than once because it removed the stress of needing to see and find everything in just one day, but I will need to limit my crowd exposure in the future… 2 to 3 days max.
Will I travel over Christmas again in the future?
Probably. I think many of the elements I enjoyed about this trip could probably be just as easily obtained by visiting earlier during Advent (aka earlier in December) and at a lower travel cost than over the holiday itself. However, the stigma of being “home for Christmas” feels much less important now, but maybe I’ll try to talk more of my family into skipping town with us ;)
If you would like to watch a short video about our trip, you can see it HERE.
Have questions or need advice? Leave me a comment or shoot me an email.
Five Days On The French Riviera
My First Trip to The Cote d’Azur
On the heels of a very leisurely week of cruising down the Canal du Midi (details found HERE), we proceeded to make our new home of Nice, our base for five days of exploring the famous French Riviera.
Our Itinerary:
Day 1 - Arrive by train from Aix-en-Provence, check into our Airbnb, and a very rushed visit to the brocante market at the Cours Saleya Market before it closed at 3 PM (phew!).
Day 2 - Explore the Old Town with a local photographer for some couple's photos (we try to do this at least once on every trip), and do some shopping.
Day 3 - Relax! We chose to spend the majority of this day at the beach.
Day 4 - Spend a half-day in the village of Eze and then visited Monte-Carlo, Monaco, followed by a sunset dinner at Le Plongeoir back in Nice.
Day 5 - A Full-day visit to the town of Grasse, where we did a little exploration, took a Fragonard factory tour, and then a perfume workshop.
Day 6 - We had a morning departure flight from the Nice Airport.
Day 1 - Arrival
Travel days are usually stressful, from the dozen checks to make sure you didn’t leave a charger or your favorite face cream in the bathroom at the hotel you’re leaving, the anxiety of getting settled on to whatever form of transport you’re taking, and finally, getting checked-in and settled at your new and unfamiliar home, there are a lot of things that can go wrong on travel days.
With that in mind, even when everything runs smoothly, the potential of things going wrong can often distract you from the fact that you’re on vacation and should be having fun, but maybe that’s just me?
We had made a pit stop of one night in Aix-en-Provence after completing our barge cruise in Beziers and before arriving in Nice. I’ll write a post about that experience later on but since it was just a single night that happened to also be a Sunday, there’s not a ton of information to add, so I’m skipping ahead to our time on the Riviera).
Having taken a morning train from Aix-en-Provence, we arrived at the Nice Ville train station at around 11:30 am, followed by a brisk 15-20 minute walk (luggage in tow) to our Airbnb. After arriving and getting checked in, we once again hit the pavement in search of the Cours Saleya Market at around a little after 1 pm (much to the chagrin of my now hangry husband). Unfortunately, (despite having readily available and accurate information from Google Maps) the distance and time it took for us to traverse this distance were more than expected (30-40 minutes). So, after a nearly sprinting speed walk, we arrived sweaty, nearly out of breath, and with short fuses. To ensure that my husband didn’t combust on me, I elected that he should go get a nice lunch at one of the cafes that encircle the market and that I would dash around the market and check back in with him at the cafe, frequently (I don’t pay for phone service when we travel) to see if he was finished and ready to join me, but that I would try to make the most of the market before it closed (many vendors had already begun to close by the time we arrived).
Day 2 - Exploring Nice
Feeling more ourselves after a night of rest, we rose early to get coffee before our morning photo shoot. I believe that of the reasons to travel to Europe, morning coffee at the many cafes is among the biggest. Fully caffeinated, we met our photographer, who skillfully guided us through Old Town to all the best places, while giving us great ideas for places to return to after we were finished.
Following the conclusion of our self-imposed paparazzi session, we visited several boutiques in search of items on my wish list, which I was ultimately delighted to have found.
Later in the afternoon, after returning to our Airbnb for a little refresher, we made our way to the iconic (and nearby), hotel Negresco, where a couple of our friends were staying. Once there, a member of the hotel staff graciously guided our small group on a tour of the hotel and the extraordinary pieces of art and history that it contains. When the tour concluded in one of the two beautifully appointed bars, we treated ourselves to espresso martinis (the unintentional cocktail of the trip), and then we collectively made our way back to Old Town for an intimate but likely dinner at a Northern Indian restaurant.
Day 3 - Taking A Day Off
It may sound silly to want to take a day off from vacation, but there is real value in not making any plans for at least one day to allow yourself the unnecessary permission to be spontaneous. I have talked at length about this phenomenon in other posts, but being the planner that I am, I need to be reminded of it regularly.
To that end, we slept late on our third day, and after a quick Google search (using our Airbnb wi-fi) of the best brunch spots in Nice still serving food between 11am-noon, we found the jackpot! It so happened to be that one of the top 10 brunch recommendations for Nice, was located between our Airbnb and a private beach where we could rent loungers, so we had solved the question of how we would be spending the rest of our day. This brunch recommendation was named La Femme du Boulanger.
We arrived a short time later at the restaurant and sat down at a charming, but not overly elaborate, patio table at La Femme du Boulanger. We were greeted immediately by our server who gave us water, menus and asked us if we wanted to get started with anything before consulting the menu. We eagerly requested coffee and I (out of habit at this point in the trip) also asked for a pain au chocolate (a chocolate croissant). The waiter, seeming slightly perplexed and perhaps lacking the English vocabulary to respond to my request, assured us that he would be right back and then quickly left our table. Not a minute later, a young woman came to the table (followed closely by a young man in an apron who bolted out onto the street and then down the block), and explained that the restaurant did not have any pain au chocolates but that they sent a boy to the bakery to get one for me, and that our coffee would be ready momentarily. She then exited stage right and was replaced with our primarily French-speaking waiter, coffee in hand.
The story of this pseudo-comical brunch does not end with just ordering a pain au chocolate, however. Shortly after placing our food orders, an elderly gentleman, looking like what one would imagine as an old French country baker (I will refer to him as "bread man"), brought us a basket containing a variety of thick, freshly toasted bread slices, along with a selection of jars filled with different jams and spreads. I want to point out that I am not talking about Wonder Bread slices or store-bought bread rolls from large trays, but rather, honest-to-goodness, country-style loaves of bread. Now, you might be thinking that the significance of this bready detail is not the style of the bread or the variety of the spreads, rather, it is the man who brought it to our table.
After dropping off this perfectly toasted basket of grain goodness, the bread man proceeded to go and visit with other patrons (I assume them to be regulars given his familiarity). Meanwhile, we leisurely sipped our coffees and commented on how appetizing our newly acquired bread basket and spread assortment was, while we patiently waited for the food that we had ordered to arrive which was the wrong thing to do.
After completing his conversations at other tables, the bread man returned to our table and (to his dismay) discovered that we had not yet eaten all of the bread in our basket (he spoke no English, so I wasn’t sure of just how upset he was). He grabbed our basket and hurried inside the restaurant, leaving both my husband and I thoroughly confused by what had just happened. We had no sooner exchanged looks of confusion when we were rejoined by this perplexing Frenchman with a new basket of hot, toasted bread.
“Chaude,” he stated emphatically while placing pieces of the hot bread on each of our plates, making eye contact with each of us as he went, before setting down the new basket and once again leaving the table.
What finally sunk in after reflection and piecing together what french words we knew, were able to understand that he was the owner of the restaurant as well as the bread baker and that he wanted his bread eaten while it was at its best, a.k.a, warm. The bread man returned much later in our meal to make sure that we had eaten more of the bread in the basket, saw that we had, and gave us a big smile and a nod of approval. By the conclusion of this unusual dining experience, we were stuffed full of delicious food (including my pain au chocolate), had smiles on our faces, and even purchased two jars of one of the spreads they had served with the bread.
The rest of our day was spent stretched out on sun-loungers at Ruhl Plage (one of the many private beaches on the promenade des anglais a long the , where we marveled at not just the beautiful azure-colored water, but at how amazingly lucky we were to be there, together, and at that moment, we were full of carbs and truly at peace.
Day 4 - Village Visits & Sunset Dinners
Eze
Rising early, we booked an Uber Van (Uber+ does not exist in France, but they do use vans, which is better for bigger groups anyway) and made our way to the village of Eze. Reachable by car or train, but the train option requires a hike or a cab ride from the train station at the bottom of the hill on which Eze sits, however, we opted for a van so we could be dropped off directly at the village entrance, and therefore save time.
We arrived around 9:30 am before the shops had started to open (which occurs around 11 am), but neither had most of the tourists, providing us (largely) with the place to ourselves.
Contained within this stunningly beautiful medieval village, are two Chateau. Both of these chateaus are beautiful but serve slightly different purposes. The first of these is the Chateau de Eze (popular as a wedding venue), and the second is Chateau de Chevre d'Or (The Golden Goat). The Chateau de Chevre d'Or is a jaw-droppingly beautiful network of hotel rooms within the village walls and has multiple terrace restaurants and cafes (connected to the hotel). Despite being somewhat pricey, it is my opinion, that the cost of grabbing a drink or a meal at one of these cafes justifies the experience. We opted to get coffee and croissants at the cafe which shares the same terrace as the restaurant that serves the hotel guests breakfast.
After the most epic morning coffee ever, it was now after 11 am and the shops had begun to open, as did our wallets. With a wide variety of shops and art galleries, it isn't difficult to find a memorable souvenir at a price point that fits any size budget.
Monte Carlo - Monaco
After a somewhat frustrating series of driver-canceled Uber rides, we eventually made our way from Eze down to Monaco, but unfortunately, I made a major logistical flaw. I had wrongfully assumed that due to the relatively small geographic area of this famously small city-state, everything would be located near each other (which is true), but when our Uber driver asked if we wanted to go to the city center or the upper town, I defaulted to the “city center.” The result of my uninformed decision was us getting dropped off in front of the Monte-Carlo Casino, which is amidst the big brand shops, but not at all close to the cultural center (which is in the upper city).
At the end of the day, if we had more time to explore the area, I might feel differently, but in general, I was "underwhelmed" by Monaco and found it to feel like an expensive shopping mall near the water. The moral of the story (if there is one), is to research exactly where you want to be dropped off in Monaco before you go.
Le Plongeoir
Easily one of the most memorable dining experiences I've ever had occurred at a little restaurant famously perched out over the water, at Le Plongeoir. Unable to make a group reservation for eight adults, we opted to make reservations in groups of two, which worked out perfectly. Afterward, we all agreed that everything from the food and service to the weather and colors of the sunset, was filled with joy, and collectively created an experience that we will all treasure.
Day 5 - Exploring French Perfume in Grasse, France
I’ll write a post with more specifics of this experience, but suffice it to say that this was a highlight of our time on the Riviera. Referencing back to my earlier mention of transportation challenges to some of the inland villages of this region, we again opted to take an Uber van directly to the Fragonard museum (which also happens to be located in the heart of Grasse). Similar to Eze, there is a train that runs from Nice, however, the train station is (as was the case in Eze) located at the bottom of a big hill, which is much easier to walk down, than it is to walk up.
If you choose to visit Grasse and opt to visit a perfumer other than Fragonard, be sure to note the proximity of where they conduct their workshop to that of the old town in Grasse because some of them are closer than others.
In hindsight, I wish we had given ourselves more time just to explore Grasse, which was a warm and charming place with many little shops and cafes I would have loved to have visited, but the length of time it took for us to complete our factory tour and workshop, was longer (by more than an hour) than we had expected. Fortunately, we had enough time to pop into a few of these shops as well as to share the final dinner of the trip, followed by the winding walk down the hill to the train station, where we briefly boarded the wrong train back to Nice. Thankfully, we were corrected by a kindly local we had spoken with on the platform, who, on discovering our error, located us on the train and ushered us back off before the train left the station.
My Top Highlights of The French Riviera
Exploring the various markets held at the Cours Saleya Market in Nice
Breakfast at La Femme du Boulanger in Nice
Our half-day in the village of Eze
Dinner at Le Plongeoir
Our group perfume workshop at Fragonard in Grasse
Did I miss something that you feel should have been added to my “to-do” list during my trip? Add it as a comment below!
Two Weeks in Southern France
If you had asked me when I was in my early 20’s what my life would look like at 40, I probably would have painted a very different picture than that of how my life actually looks. Fortunately, I can very honestly say that this newly minted 40 year old has a life that far exceeds the expectations of my younger self.
How We Spent Two Weeks in Southern France
My husband and I are blessed to have multiple friends that, like ourselves, enjoy international travel almost as much as they enjoy celebrating even the smallest of milestones with other members of our circle. It goes without saying, that when I announced my desire to spend my 40th birthday in southern France, everyone was on board.
The 15+ Day Itinerary
*Of the group of eight adults going on this trip, there were a total of 5 different travel itineraries as well as varying departure days, but for the purpose of this post, I will be focusing on my personal travel itinerary.
+MAY 18th - Depart Kansas City, MO USA > Change Planes in Atlanta, Georgia USA > Depart for London, UK
+MAY 19th - Arrive London, UK
+MAY 20th - (Yay, birthday!)
MAY 21st - Depart London, UK > Arrive Toulouse, France > Train from Toulouse to Carcassonne, France
MAY 22nd - Explore Carcassonne
MAY 23rd - Depart Carcassonne for Trebes > Board moored barge in Trebes, France
MAY 24th - Depart Trebes for Marseilette
MAY 25th - Depart Marseilette for Homps
MAY 26th - Depart Homps for Le Somail
MAY 27th - Depart Le Somail for Capestang
MAY 28th - Depart Capestang for Beziers
MAY 29th - Depart Beziers for Colombiers > Depart Barge and take train to Aix-en-Provence, France
MAY 30th - Depart Aix-en-Provence by train for Nice, France
MAY 31st - Photoshoot in Nice
JUNE 1st - Beach Day
JUNE 2nd - Day trip to Eze, Day trip to Monte-Carlo
JUNE 3rd - Day trip to Grasse
JUNE 4th - Depart Nice for London, UK
Highlights of Carcassonne
By far the most exciting fortress I’ve toured in Europe, what really sets this place a part, is the combination of preserved medieval design, and incorporation of modern life within its walls. Anyone can enter this walled fortress and visit the shops, eat at the many restaurants, or stay at the hotels housed in original structures protected by these ancient stone walls. That said, there is a palace contained within this massive complex, which does require a small fee to enter, but it’s absolutely worth paying.
Carcassonne Advice:
Prior to our arrival, I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of food options within the citadel, but there’s a very generous supply of them and a range from sandwich counter, all the way up to Michelin star. If you plant to stay in or near the Narbonne gate entrance of the citadel, you’ll be fine to plan for eating all of your meals inside, so long as you abide the very French business hours.
If you’re arriving by train (as we did), don’t count on easily being able to get a cab or uber, you may need to call a cab company or your hotel to have them send one for you. We chose to walk the mile from the station to our hotel, but it was uphill on poor sidewalks.
With regard to how long you should stay, the absolute minimum should be two nights. I would have really enjoyed staying at least three, but as compared to the rest of our friends who only stayed one night, our experience was MUCH better for having stayed two.
If you want to see a little more of Carcassonne from a personal perspective, you can watch a short video from my recent trip with friends, HERE.
Highlights of Our 7 Day Barge Cruise
Spending a week on a converted barge was never on my bucket list, but it is now the best week of any vacation that I’ve ever had.
Canal Du Midi Cruise Advice:
We traveled from Carcassonne to Beziers (which is a North’ish to South’ish path) for seven days and six nights but after two days on the barge, we wished that we had chosen the 12-day option and continued down through the Camargue region, which our crew said was their favorite stretch of water/landscape.
In general, I don’t have many regrets or things I would do differently, but after having experienced the many water locks on the canal, I'm happy that we chose to book passage on a piloted boat, rather than the much more abundant “self-drive” options.
If you want to see more about the boat we rented, I’ve created a series of videos that document our experiences during our week, as well as our first day on the boat we chartered, HERE, and for a full description of our cruise, you can read more HERE.
Highlights of 5 Days on the French Riviera:
Unlike our barge cruise on the canal, where we visited small rural villages and didn’t encounter many (if any) non-french people when we reached Nice, we found them all. Not to say that anywhere we went was “overrun” with tourists, but it had a distinct tourism-oriented feel to it. The highlights for me were the various markets that operated on different days in Nice, the dining options were out of this world (I particularly enjoyed breakfast at La Femme du Boulangerie and dinner at Le Plongeoir), and the many easy day trips reached from Nice.
Riviera Advice:
Transportation to coastal towns is super simple with the train, however, if you want to venture inland at all, things get a little more complicated, a little more sparse, and a little more expensive. We primarily used Uber for anything inland, but took the train for all coastal destinations.
The village of Eze was an absolute highlight of our time on the Riviera, and despite it being a little pricey, I would suggest trying to spend one night there.
In terms of disappointments, Monaco was a real letdown for me…I don’t know exactly what I expected, and perhaps if I had more than just a few hours, I may have seen something to change my mind, but in general, it felt very much like an expensive shopping mall and was devoid of any real character. If you’re at all limited on time, skip visiting Monaco.
My favorite organized activity was our day trip to Grasse, where we did a workshop at the Fragonard perfumery. I agonized over which Perfumery to reserve a workshop through, but am SO glad I booked the one at Fragonard. I’ll write a separate post about that experience.
If you want to watch some of what we experienced in each of the places mentioned here, you can view a video I put together HERE.
Questions about something you saw here or just want to chat all things “Nice?” Leave me a comment below!
Visiting Biel Bienne Switzerland
The Tale of A Speedmaster Wristwatch
In 1972, a man from rural Kansas traveled to Geneva Switzerland, and purchased an unusual timepiece. The Speedmaster Mark 3 wristwatch was worn nearly daily for 40+ years and was a prized possession for many-many years. Sadly, the day came when the watch no longer worked due to the many years of heavy use, and the owner himself passed away. However, that was not the end of the story for this particular watch.
Visiting Biel /Bienne Switzerland
As mentioned in a previous post, we planned our time in Switzerland very conservatively and kept the delivery of the watch as our primary purpose for our limited time there. To that end, on our first morning waking up in Europe, we ate a quick breakfast in our hotel (and grabbed a couple of ham croissants in a ziplock that I keep in my purse) and then raced off to the train station to make our way to Biel Bienne.
A fun fact about Biel/Bienne is that due to the heavy influence of both German and French in the country, this town adopted both the German and French names for the town.
Omega Watch Headquarters
My husband was very close with his grandfather and loved him dearly, so when his grandfather's broken watch made its way into his possession, it was once again a treasured item for the man that possessed it, which served as the primary inspiration behind the planning of a trip to where the story began.
The watch had previously been taken to a luxury jeweler and watch seller for an estimate of what may be required to refurbish the timepiece, which is when it was discovered that the watch would have to be sent (by any jeweler/dealer) back to the manufacturer in Switzerland. Knowing that the watch would have to travel to Switzerland no matter what, I took it upon myself to contact the manufacturer myself and inquire as to the process of hand delivering the watch for repair. Fortunately, the Omega watch organization responded quickly and provided me with the appropriate route to take in which this handoff could occur.
The Omega Watch Museum
The museum which is also located at the headquarters is free to tour and interesting even to those that don’t necessarily consider themselves “watch people.”
Two Days in Zurich Switzerland
How We Maximized 50 Hours
There’s a delicate line to be found between “over-scheduled” and “maximized opportunity,” and I’m the queen of erring on the less desirable side of the two. It never fails that when I start planning a trip, I find far too many “once in a life-time” or “not to be missed” opportunities in one too many destinations to squeeze into a single trip, but how do you decide what to skip?!
Planning with Purpose
Whether you intentionally plan trips with a “purpose” or not, everyone does. For some, the purpose is simply to fulfill a vision of sleeping in, discovering what’s in a city as you walk past it, or to simply get a tan. There’s nothing wrong with simple plans like the above, and in fact, it makes it easier to demonstrate the following construct of purpose driven trip planning.
Example. If your goal for a trip is to simply wear sandals and get a tan on the beach, then some things to consider with this goal in mind, might be the following:
What’s the weather like at the time of year that you’re considering a visit to this destination?
How much time do you need to take to accomplish your tan?
If you’re traveling with a partner or friend, are your goals for the trip perfectly in sync, or does one of you desire to take a day to go shopping or take a tour, or both?
The moral of the story, is that trip activities can quickly runaway with you and at the end of it, you might leave without having felt like you got the tan that you wanted.
Our Purpose for Switzerland
Like many, my husband was unable to celebrate a milestone during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the way he would have wished. In this case, his 40th birthday had always been a birthday that we intended to celebrate abroad, but international travel in January of 2021, was not in the cards. However, things had improved by December of 2021 and we decided to take our chances and brave a trip to Europe.
What I’ve seen of Europe has all been amazing which can make it difficult to choose a single destination out of the many diverse locations available. However, I thought that this trip might be better spent focusing on things relevant to my husband, and in this vein, I thought it the perfect opportunity for a mini pilgrimage. A few years prior, he had inherited a wristwatch from his grandfather after his passing. The watch no longer worked, but was a luxury timepiece which his grandfather had himself purchased in Switzerland in the early 1970’s. Ding, ding, ding… light-bulb moment!
I contacted the manufacturing headquarters of the watch brand (located in Switzerland) and asked if we would be allowed to physically deliver the watch back to them for repair, rather than simply taking it to a local jeweler/dealer and having them ship it to Switzerland on our behalf. Fortunately, they said yes, and that they would ship it back to us when the work was completed.
With the central activity of our trip established, the rest of our adventure could unfold much more easily now knowing what we needed to work around. Ultimately, we decided to limit our time in Switzerland, and to focus solely on the delivery of the watch to the factory, then we would border hop to Austria in time for New Years Eve in Salzburg. The way this worked out was thus:
Depart USA December 28th
Arrive in Zurich Switzerland (approximately 9 AM) December 29th
Take a 2 hour - Old Town Zurich, cultural walking tour, starting at 2 PM December 29th
Depart via train to Biel/Bien Switzerland, 10 AM December 30th (location of the manufacture)
Deliver the watch to the factory
Return via train to Zurich, 3 PM December 30th
Depart via train to Salzburg Austria 11 AM, December 31st
If you do the math, we spent VERY little time in Zurich, but it was long enough to make the following observations:
Zurich is beautiful - Super clean, beautiful buildings, lots of greenery despite being very urban and cosmopolitan… hell, even the people are pretty!
Zurich is extremely expensive! I expected it to be high, but my expectation of high cost was wrong by about half. Our first evening there, we ate dinner at a vegetarian salad-bar and drank hot tea with our self-served meals, and it cost roughly $75 for the two of us. You’ve been warned.
It’s hard for me to know what the impact of COVID-19 may have had on the operational hours of the retail industry at the time we were there, but everything that wasn’t a restaurant or bar, would close by 6 pm, which made for an extremely harrowing experience trying to purchase a box of Swiss chocolates for my mother in-law before we left. Had I known that the hours would have been so limited, I would have arranged my shopping time differently in our schedule.
In summary, I probably wouldn’t go back to Zurich outside of just using the airport, it was just too expensive for me to enjoy. However, knowing what the prices in areas outside of the city are like, and knowing how beautiful the country is, I would 100% go see more of Switzerland.
My experience traveling to Europe during a pandemic
International travel during a pandemic
A return to travel
The last couple of years have been stressful and for us, travel bugs, being stuck at home was a special kind of hell. Fortunately, with cases declining and countries starting to encourage tourism, travel planning can now resume, but with more than a few hiccups to be expected.
Travel Requirements - December 2021
We decided to follow through with our first international trip since the start of the pandemic, in late December of 2021, by traveling first to Switzerland and then to Austria to celebrate the New Year.
With travel regulations changing almost daily, please be aware that these requirements will likely have changed by the writing of this post.
Documentation Requirements for our journey:
Full-Vaccination (meaning at least two doses of an EU recognized vaccine)
VeriFly App (various similar apps exist, be sure to check with our airline for their preferred app) - Travel guidelines as required by the airlines and must be completed before arrival at the airport
GreenPass App - Entry requirements for Switzerland must be completed before exiting the country of origin (in our case, the USA)
Covid Cert App - Very similar to the GreenPass app but is the application of choice to apply for clearance via the EU government.
The Process
The trickiest part of this entire application process is paying attention to the time requirements associated with the submissions. Foundational to the entry into Switzerland or the EU is having a negative COVID test taken within the time frame assigned by their entry requirements (I can't stress this enough). With this in mind, elapsed the time between taking either a PCR or a rapid antigen test and the time you receive the results does impact your ability to request permission via the above applications.
Our experience
We were scheduled to depart from Kansas City on December 28th at 7:30 AM, assuming that getting our negative COVID test results would be a non-issue even after Christmas. We had not anticipated the surge of testing that would be done and result in significant testing backlogs across the whole country.
Like everyone else (apparently), we went out first thing on the morning after Christmas and underwent PCR tests that would meet the 72-hour qualification window for our Swiss entry applications (whereas rapid antigen tests could only be 24 hours old at the time of arrival at our destination). We followed up our morning tests with another set of PCR tests at a different pharmacy chain later on that same day (both chains suggested an average 24-hour turnaround time for results).
By the following day, December 27th, we still had not received results from either of our tests the previous day, and we were beginning to sweat. We had to provide negative test results within a narrow window of time to finish our applications for entry into Switzerland, and we were rapidly running out of it.
We decided to take yet another set of PCR tests but in another city, thinking that they would maybe be using a different testing lab to process results. However, by the late afternoon of December 27th, we still had zero results back from any of our tests, which forced us to take our least ideal test option and get rapid antigen tests.
The reason this was not ideal, is that rapid antigen results taken on the 27th would only be good enough to get us from our home airport to that of our connecting airport before their 24-hour viability would be reached, meaning that they would not qualify as valid results for our Swiss entrance applications.
With this new plan looking like our best option, we decided to use rapid test results to get us onto our first flight from Kansas City, and then get another rapid test inside our connecting airport, thereby giving us a fresh 24-hour window of result validity time to complete our Swiss entry applications. We would then cross our fingers that they would be received and approval issued during the remaining portion of our layover so that we would know before takeoff if we would be allowed to enter Switzerland when we landed.
Fortunately, my husband received his results from the very first PCR test (taken on the morning of December 26th), at around 11 pm on December 27th. This result allowed him to both submit, and receive, his Swiss entry approval as designed (before departure). I, however, was still very much stuck with the previously mentioned "less than ideal" scenario, but at least we would now only have to pay for one rapid test at the clinic inside our connecting airport ($160 per test!).
With the mission of getting my second test and entry application completed, we hit the ground running as soon as we arrived at our connecting airport the next day. We ran (luggage in tow) to the testing center, got me tested, and began my entry application with my new test results 30 minutes later.
For the next two hours, I worked to stave off a panic attack while waiting to receive the results of my entry application while we waited at our gate, which fortunately came with time to spare, but with the addition of a few new gray hairs.
Travel between countries
Since Switzerland is not part of the EU, this means that we had to jump through another entry hoop for traveling from Switzerland to our next destination, Austria. Fortunately, most of Europe all uses a digital vaccination passport system which made the barrier of entry MUCH easier since we could use the digitally issued approval from Switzerland to apply for our digital application to the EU. It only took a few minutes to complete this process.
Showing proof of vaccination
At the time of our trip, you were required to be double-masked and show proof of vaccination to do just about anything other than standing outside, and in some cases, you still had to show proof to be at some outdoor venues. Fortunately, the EU and Swiss apps both issue you a QR code that is accepted for this purpose and utilizes the vaccination information you provided during your initial application for entry. Alternatively, in most instances in which we had to provide proof, our paper vaccination cards issued by the CDC, also worked without any problem. To be clear, we were using double-sided copies of our original cards that we had laminated.
The journey home
In our final COVID-related hoop, we needed to receive negative tests no more than 24 hours before returning to the US. Considering how difficult it had been to accomplish this task on our outbound journey, we were very stressed about navigating it from a foreign country. Fortunately, this task was made much easier for our return due to the test results being timed to our departure, rather than when we would arrive at the border.
Additionally, Austria had a much more robust testing network in place and our hotel concierge simply directed us to one of the MANY walk-in testing centers located around Vienna. We needed only to show our passports and received free, rapid tests, followed by results within fifteen minutes.
Lessons learned
Have a supply of rapid antigen tests at home which are recognized by governing bodies, so that we don’t run into issues like this again.
Per the above, be sure to regularly check the expiration dates for these tests to ensure that the results will be accepted at the time you need to use them. The “use by” date will be printed on the box.
In Summary
I’m sure the burning question in your mind, is “was it worth it?” I can honestly say without a moment's hesitation that it was! As with anything else in life, fear of the unknown and situations you have never experienced before can be very stressful, but we both grew from this experience and earned some “travel cred” in the process.
An unexpected bonus of traveling during a pandemic is that there were significantly fewer tourists that we had to compete with at all of our destinations, which made our time extra special while there. Five stars would repeat this trip.
Three Days in Washington D.C.
What to do with three days in Washington D.C.
A pandemic travel guide
It has been so long since the last time that I wrote a travel post, that i had difficulty even remembering the password to login and get started! That said, my hiatus from posting hasn’t been a true hiatus from travel per se, but has been an exercise in frustration with international travel planning. However, having taken a few little domestic trips during this time of upheaval, I’m finding that it’s time to resume a semi-regular posting schedule.
Know Before You Go
Normally when planning a trip I do extensive research into potential activities so that we don’t face the cringe of “I wish we would have known that sooner” reality while we’re visiting a far-off local. However, crazy times call flexibility and in this case, we found ourselves canceling a long planned trip (because of Covid concerns) in favor of a last minute mini-trip to a more domestic location.
To that end, there’s a TON to do in Washington D.C., but with ever changing policy where public health is concerned, don’t assume that you can simply drop-in and visit the free museums or attractions. We planned our trip less than a week in advance and we were not able to obtain timed entry tickets to any of the museums that we wanted to visit despite it being free entry.
Also, get familiar with the weather. Despite checking the weather before we went, we still found ourselves caught off guard by the daily rain we received like clockwork between 4 and 4:30 pm each day. According to a local we spoke with, D.C. rain is just a part of life that you count on being there. I wish we had known this or we would have packed differently and not found ourselves soaking wet on more than one occasion.
What we did with three days in D.C.
First of all, that’s not enough time to do hardly anything by the time you factor in the somewhat limited operating hours of the government buildings, so watch your time very closely!
On day 1 - We arrived and took the metro into town, we stayed in a hotel just a couple of blocks from the white house and walking to/from the metro was quick and easy. After we got checked-in, we immediately set out on foot to scope out the sites and familiarize ourselves with the area.
*D.C. is somewhat odd in terms of walking distance to things, everything is close and walkable, but also can be far on foot but too close for a car or train, so try not to be in a rush when going somewhere specific.
Our hotel was located on the Black Lives Matter Plaza, which at the time was undergoing road construction, but as we walked down it, we realized that they were pouring individual letters to spell it out in concrete. Compared to the painted versions of this in my own town, we were impressed by the investment.
Drawing nearer to the White House, we saw St. John's Episcopal Church, the site of the infamous photo taken by Donald Trump. We had no idea how close it actually was to the White House (again, the small/far complex). Just across the street from the church is the beautiful Lafayette Park, you might walk through it and not ever stop to appreciate it because you’ll be so distracted by the White House sitting at the end of of it, but look around and appreciate the beautifully preserved homes.
The White House, arguably the most famous of all buildings in the United States, was a very special stop. Due to barricades which are up during the day, you can’t walk-up to the fence, but even at a distance, you’re closer to it than you would think that you could get. My heart did a little flip when I saw it for the first time, it’s also much smaller than I expected. Stop and take a few minutes to appreciate it both in the daytime and at night.
Continuing our exploration, we walked all the way around the White House, which is a rather large loop. In the process you’ll also see the Willard Hotel, and walk along a portion of the National Mall. As you reach the rear of the White House, you’ll again note just how small it is and how confined the inhabitants must feel. Walk a little further and you’ll turn again to continue your loop, and walk past the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is where the office of the Vice President is located. Turn the corner again and you’re back at the White house.
By now it was late in the afternoon and we were sweaty and tired, so we returned to the hotel to shower, grab dinner, and that rounded out our first day.
Day 2 - Jumping into our second day, we went and visited the National Archive. The main reason for visiting is to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill Rights, but there’s also other exhibits there. We spent around 3 hours here.
After leaving the archives, we decided to walk the National Mall.
*Keep in mind that it was super hot, and there’s very little in the way of places to pop into and grab a drink, so be sure to bring water with you. That said, central D.C. is flush with ice cream trucks, if it’s just something cold that you’re wanting.
The mall is lovely and you’ll see all kinds of people there, we were there the day before an anniversary event of the MLK “I have a dream” speech, so there was extra activity happening. Eventually, we made our way to one of the ends of the park, where the Lincoln Memorial caps off an incredible linear view over the rest of the mall. You’ll want to spend some time here, it’s not only an impressive structure, but take the time to read everything that is inside. It’s an emotional experience for many.
Doubling back from the Lincoln Memorial, we walked along the reflecting pool and made our way towards the Washington monument. We stopped to view the World War 2 memorial and enjoyed the fountains for a time, but then we noticed the dark clouds of the mid afternoon rain storm start to approach so we quickly made our way to the Washington memorial, from there you have a good mid-point view of the rest of the mall in both directions. In all, we spent a couple of hours just viewing these three monuments and due to the rain, now needed to end our day of sightseeing (it was nearing the 4pm hour).
Day 3 - We visited the White House Visitor Center. Before you get too excited, it’s not actually part of the White House complex, but it’s located nearby and is what I’m going to call “An overlooked gem.” This museum focuses on the “people” that have lived, worked, and built the white house into what it is today. There are lots of artifacts, an educational video, and plenty of information to easily fill a couple of hours. Totally free of charge and no ticket required.
After we finished at the center, we decided to partially finish walking the National Mall. While we didn’t resume from where we left off, we set out from the visitors center and made our way to the Capital and the Supreme Court buildings. Mind you, it was oppressively hot that day and by the time we had walked there, we were tired, hungry and thirsty, so we ducked inside a little deli on the far side of the capital. Unfortunately for us, by the time we finished our little rest, it was time for the daily rain. We had just enough time to snap a few pictures before it started raining so hard that we had to huddle under an oak tree on the capital lawn..it really put a “damper” on the afternoon, but at least we saw it and could mark it off our list.
On our final morning before heading to the airport (Day Four), we took an Uber ride out to visit a bookstore called “Politics & Prose.” It was a bit of a hike, but well worth the trouble if you have a book lover in your life. Many of the Washington Elite do their book signings at this store and the autographed copies are still sold at regular price! Another unexpected perk of this visit, was when we discovered that the bookstore was just a couple of doors down from Comet Ping Pong, known to locals as a family-friendly pizza and ping pong restaurant, but to the rest of us as the unfortunate recipient of unfounded conspiracy theory and the resulting “pizza gate” scandal.
In summary, I loved D.C. and will go back again sooner rather than later.
Questions? Leave a comment or ask a question!
The Sound of Salzburg Austria
The hills are alive in Salzburg Austria.
The hills are indeed alive in Salzburg and even if you’ve never seen the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, you’ll still benefit from the musical education.
Sound of Music Tours
When planning our recent trip to Salzburg, booking a theme tour was not a “to-do” item on our list, let alone a theme tour for a film that was released in 1965. I also must admit that I was unaware that the musical tale of the Trapp family was a true story, not that knowing this detail would have changed my mind about booking one of the many film tours available. However, one of the things I dearly love about travel is finding myself in the state of mind to “go with the flow,” which opens me up to more spontaneous experiences, and this is where our trip to Austria took a musical turn.
Much to my surprise and delight, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a delay in both the starting and ending dates for the annual Christmas markets throughout Austria, which means that many of them were still operational during our visit in late December and early January. It was while investigating a glass tree ornament stall that I happened to meet a fellow American killing time while waiting for new years eve festivities to begin, he revealed himself to be an ex-pat who had been living there for several years and made his living giving Sound of Music tours. It was still a couple of hours before midnight, and he graciously offered to help us pass the time by giving us the portion of his multi-hour tour which covered the area of town we were currently in.
To make a very long story somewhat shorter, we took him up on his offer and then decided to take the remaining portion of his tour a couple of days later. He had generously offered not to charge us, but we decided to pay him anyway given the extensively detailed nature and level of effort he invested into his program. We learned more information about this film/family than I may ever know about anything else on earth.
Comparing Trapp Family Tours
As mentioned above, I didn’t bother to research the differences in the many Sound of Music tours offered in Salzburg, but if you decide to go, you’ll find no shortage of these themed tours available to book. However, once you’re there, you'll probably notice that most of these tour groups all look the same, and they all occur by the busload, generally go to the same places, and all seem to focus exclusively on film facts and less on the real Trapp family story as it related to the film.
The tour we took was not one that you’ll probably find on the major tourism planning sites but is absolutely the one you should consider if you’re seeking a tour for either film fan or pop-culture reasons. My husband couldn’t remember if he had seen the film or not, but was fascinated by the factual elements of the family experience as it related to the war. You also see portions of the city that you probably would never notice or even take the trouble to go see, but that ultimately added to that coveted “off the beaten path” experience that all travelers crave but few achieve.
If you’re willing to invest in an education that doesn't require a student loan and that you wont regret in ten years, you should take a look at TrappFamilyBikeTours.com.
Hollywood Magic Meets Reality
I would be doing both you and John (the tour operator… he’s a hoot) a disservice by going into the nuts and bolts of what you’ll see on the tour, but suffice it to say that Hollywood magic and artistic license took HUGE liberties with the Trapp family story. One example I’ll give is that the Trapp family home (in the film) is a combination of multiple homes located in Salzburg as well as a set built on a sound stage in Hollywood. John, however, showed us not only the filming locations for pivotal parts of the film but also actual locations pertinent to the family. He went into great detail to separate fact from film fiction, which made for a very enriching experience.
If you’ve visited Salzburg and taken one of these theme tours, or have any specific questions, feel free to place them in the comments.
Historic Scottish Woolmill
Some Good Lookin’ Wool
As a follow-up to my post about the working sheepdogs of Leault farm and the sheep that live and are sheared there, here’s a post about the next step in the farm to product lifecycle of wool.
Knockando Wool Mill
Tucked away in the Highlands, this historical working wool mill was a delightful way to spend a few hours and finally answered some of the pesky questions (I’ve never asked) about how yarn is made. Complete with machinery in operation since the time of Queen Victoria, you’ll see and learn about what happens to wool from arrival from the farm to neatly tagged and folded in the gift-shop and many of their products are for sale online!
The Tour
A top-notch crew of volunteer tour guides conducts scheduled visits to the mill for a very reasonable rate and you can schedule and pay through the website.
In case you’re wondering, we purchased the pile of products in the last photo, two scarves, and a blanket. Fortunately for us, they shipped them for us so we didn’t have to figure out how to fit them in our luggage.
Questions or Comments? Leave me a note!
The Working Sheepdogs of Scotland
Dogs With Jobs
Chances are good that you’ve probably seen a video or three on YouTube of border collies magically directing a herd of sheep into some sort of Christmas themed shape on a hillside somewhere, but I wanted to see them in person. After a brief google search, I was in contact with Leault Working Sheepdogs, a working sheep farm about an hour and a half from Inverness Scotland.
A family-run operation, I was more than happy to pay the small ticket price they requested to attend a demonstration of the dogs at work, a sheep being sheared, and getting to meet both a newly born lamb and some very new puppies. Information not known before our arrival, however, is that there are no bathrooms on-site and in the event of rain you can expect to get wet!
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Scottish Highland Distilleries
Share With The Angels
Brown liquor is as varied as the people that drink them and when visiting a part of the world that’s known for something as popular as Scotch Whiskey, you owe it to yourself to devote at least a little bit of time to exploring it in its motherland.
Distillery Tours
Not a scotch lover myself, I do enjoy bourbon whiskey and am 100% on board with learning how to appreciate something other than my regular and more familiar go-to’s. That said, do yourself a favor the next time you’re in Scotland and visit at LEAST one but more like two or three distilleries and experience the variety of scotch being produced there.
With that in mind, we would have loved to have visited more than what we did but only had time for one full tour, but we visited four of them and either did tastings or just visited the gift shops and onsite museums.
Oban Distillery
Nestled within the seaside community of Oban in county Argyle on the west coast of Scotland, this distillery is convenient to visit if you plan to venture over the Inner Hebrides islands because Oban is one of the primary ferry port towns.
Be sure to reserve your tour in advance if that’s what you want to do, we didn’t and were only able to visit the showroom.
Tobermory Distillery
This little distillery was my favorite scotch experience because of the quaint setting. The village of Tobermory is located on the northern tip of the island of Mull, which will require you to take a ferry from Oban, but the extra effort is well worth it (for more on the Isle of Mull, click HERE). Bonus, the scotch made at this distillery (called LeDaig) is not available in the United States, so take the opportunity to try something new!
Glen Ord Distillery
Moving further north into the Highlands is the Glen Ord Distillery best known for making Singleton Scotch. We chose to do a proper tour here and we had a wonderful experience! I would definitely recommend booking this tour in advance.
Glenlivet Distillery
For our final “wee” dash of scotch exploration, we paid a visit to the tasting room for Glenlivet because it’s a favorite of my father-in-law. Probably the most elaborate showroom of all the distilleries we visited, you can even get a meal in their onsite cafe. There’s a large amount of merchandise and bottles available to purchase here, so did a little Christmas shopping while there.
Questions or Comments? Leave me a note!
A Mental Escape To The Chateau
The Mental Escape We All Need
If there’s anything that most people can agree on these days it’s that we’ve all watched a LOT of television since being stuck in our homes due to the pandemic. With that in mind, if you’re like me and have already burned through all of the more obvious candidates for bingeing, you may need suggestions for that infamous “show hole.”
Image from IMDB
The Premis
Featuring retired Lt. Col. Dick Strawbridge, his wife Angel Adoree, and their two small children, trade-in their two-bed apartment in Essex for a dilapidated 19th-century French chateau. Watch as they utilize a limited budget to renovate 45 rooms, improve twelve acres of land and a medieval moat, as they attempt to create a beautiful venue for weddings and events.
Why you’ll LOVE it
I’m totally biased having also gotten married just a few short miles from the location of this particular chateau (check it out HERE), but this program is not only set in a dreamy landscape, but it’s also full of possibility that is sorely lacking in our lives at the moment. A bonus for me is that Dick is hilarious and Angel has me feeling the itch to make stuff that I have business attempting to stuff inside my small condo. The moral of the story is that if you need a mental break and are already caught up on The Great British Bake Off, check out this show. I watch it on the Peacock App (it’s free), but it’s also available on YouTube, I’m putting the first episode for you to sample in this post
You can also follow a long on Facebook for more details!
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On Horseback In The Highlands
Scottish Pony Power
Perhaps sightseeing by horseback is something that is more easily equated with a visit to a more “Americana” locale, but it’s a unique way to view the rugged terrain of the Scottish Highlands as well!
Finding an outfit that offered pony trekking in the area that would make sense for our itinerary was a bit of a challenge and while it still required us to drive an hour into the middle of nowhere to a place called “Cougie,” the experience at “Highland Trekking & Trail Riding” was well worth the trouble. We learned more about the modern culture of the Highlands from our guide than from any other resource on our trip. Information such as that in the northeastern part of the highlands often gets several feet of snow at a time during the winter months, which I never would have guessed.
Our trail guide and one of the owners, Ian.
But There’s More…
We also learned just how seriously the Scotts take climate change, which might sound like an odd subject for a trail ride, but we saw it first hand and were fortunate to have someone there that could explain it to us.
As our merry band of pony riders entered a large treeless meadow (and when I say “treeless,” I mean full on Fern Gully land rape status), I had to ask what had happened to all of the foliage. Ian explained that before starting the pony trekking business just a few years earlier, he had worked as a second-generation logger in that very area. He went on to say that while the landscape appeared to be in a bleak state, it was done for a very good reason because over many decades as timber had been cut down and replanted, the natural ecosystem had been heavily impacted by the introduction of non-native tree varieties and wildlife. To combat the shift in the Scottish ecosystem, the Scottish government decided to rip off the band-aide (so to speak) and remove everything non-native at all at once and allow only native plants and wildlife to return to the area.
‘There’s History In Them There Hills’
Another amazing story we heard as we crisscrossed the hills, was that our guide (Ian) had stumbled across an old sword in the peat moss, a claymore to be more precise. Doing some detective work, he discovered that a skirmish during the Jacobite uprising had fought in that area and was most likely left hidden in the spot where it had fallen sometime around 1745. He donated to the local historical society, but I would have had difficulty not keeping such an amazing artifact.
“Whoa Nelly…”
An unplanned excitement during our ride occurred while riding through a moor (for an explanation of this please follow the link), which was very uneven land pocked full of shallow holes and piles of peat. Toward the front of pony pack was my mother in-law, a very accomplished western style horsewoman. Unbeknownst to her, one of these shallow but wide holes suprised both her and her pony (Spyder was his name), but Spyder rose to the occasion (literally) and decided to leap over it. Sadly my mother in-law was not as prepared as Spyder was and she breathlessly toppled right off! You might think that such an event would raise a ruccus, but Ian, our faithful but seemingly unconcerned trail guide, simply shouted from the back of the group in his thick scottish accent, “ya’ll right there girlie?”
The good news is that yes, she was just fine, and had landed on a soft and spongy mound of peat moss… natures cushion.
Home Is Where The Barn Is
Bumped pride and all, we greatly enjoyed our ride in the Highlands and our time with Ian. I can’t speak for what image comes to mind when you think of Scottish Highlander, but for me, Ian was very much it. Loud, hilarious, full of stories, and a beard that still holds a wee bit of a grudge against England.
Questions or Comments? Leave me a note below!
W Hotel Aspen - A Review
“A Little Place Called Aspen…” Part Two
If you read my previous post about our stay in Aspen (available HERE), this is the second installment and official review of our stay at the W Hotel in Aspen Village.
The W Hotel
I think a dream job for my husband and I both would be to visit and stay at hotels, at least hotels that put forth as much care and attention to detail as what Marriott does. From the moment we pulled up our car out front we were greeted with helpful, smiling staff, that volunteered information to questions that they knew to anticipate me asking, they make everything easy. Once inside the door, the front desk staff offered us chilled champagne and assistance with our luggage, and helped ease our transition from being “in transit” to “being on vacation.”
The Room
An advantage to loyalty member programs is the fact that when you hit certain milestones you receive hotel perks when available. In the case of this particular stay we were upgraded to a room with a “partial mountain view,” which in reality was just a peekaboo view above the roof line of the neighboring building, but sometimes can be a substantial improvement.
Outdoor Spaces
The reason for staying at the W Hotel is the combination of the rooftop and the physical proximity of the hotel to Aspen Village. The hotel offers two lovely rooftop common spaces, one offering pool/ hot tub and bar, and the other offering a more serene breakfast and cocktail environment. We made great use of the hot tub and ate breakfast in the fresh morning air each day of our stay and if afternoon treats are more your style, you’ll love the super cute little ice cream stand out front!
In conclusion
Aspen is a must and if you’ve got points, I recommend the W for quality and location but would still be open to staying elsewhere on future trips back.
Questions or Comments? Leave me a note.
The Jacobite Train Goes To Hogwarts
A Roundtrip Thrill Ride
I know you’ve been waiting on the edge of your seat for my much-teased post about my ride on the Jacobite train, and the wait is finally over!
Fort William
Made famous as in the Harry Potter films as the train that carries all of the young wizarding students from the magical Platform 9 3/4 in Kingscross station in London to Hogwarts, the Hogwarts Express is a beautiful steam train that travels between Fort William and Mallaig in the Scottish Highlands. Operating only part of the year and just twice daily, getting a ticket on the Jacobite train can be difficult considering that the two seated cars train has a very limited number of seats.
While planning our trip to Scotland this was one of the very first activities I looked into after purchasing our flights, which wasn’t a moment too soon. Three months before the date that would make sense for us to ride this train, there were not three seats (together or separate) available round-trip in either first or second class.
Something to keep in mind is that the cars which you would have seen in the films are the first-class cars, and while the second class is charming and nice, the first-class is what my fellow Potter-Heads are going to want.
However, determined to chase down every possible option, I discovered that a more modern commuter train also shares the same tracks as the Jacobite, so I was able to book three one way tickets on the Jacobite and three one way tickets on the modern train (this was also a massive cost-saver).
Something else to know when you arrive at Fort William station is that parking is a bit of a nightmare so be sure to arrive early enough to allow time to wait for a parking spot.
All Aboard!
As I mentioned above, there are just two cars with seating and three kinds of seating between them. Also mentioned above is that the seating shown in the Harry Potter films is what is only available in the first-class cars, and the two first-class cars owned by the rail company do differ slightly meaning that the actual car used in the movie might not be the one you get to ride in. However, you’ve got a 50/50 chance, and no matter what it’s going to feel special because some of the details shown in the film were digitally added and were never part of the train, to begin with.
First-Class on The Jacobite Train
In the first-class car, there are private cabins such as what Harry and his friends traveled in on the train, while the other two kinds of seating options are beautiful armchairs with tables and include tea service. This option comes as a non-facing and facing option (you can look into the face from sitting across from you, or not).
Second-Class On The Jacobite Train
As was the case in first-class, there are a couple of different seating options in the second car. There are seats that face forward, and there are seats that face each other. We purchased tickets that face each other with a table. Before you feel too disappointed about not being in first-class, you should know that the second-class car is still a historical car but has been retrofitted with modern seats and tables. Additionally, you still get the option to purchase tea and snacks prior to your ride, or from the concessions counter.
Other Things To Know About the Jacobite Train
Bathrooms
This was something that I never found an answer to prior to our ride, but yes, there is a bathroom between the cars, which they both lock and unlock during certain stretches of the journey.
Merchandise
There are exactly three cars in addition to the Engine and Coal car that make up the Jacobite train, the first of these additional three being the First-Class car, followed by the Second-Class car, and then the gift and concessions car. The gift stand sells both Harry-Potter merchandise and themed candies, but they also sell a limited selection of Jacobite Train collectors merchandise.
The Train Route
Taking off from Fort William, the Jacobite makes one stop at Glenfinnan Station before terminating at the end of the line in Mallaig.
Glenfinnan Station
Probably about 20 minutes is the approximate amount of time you’ll spend at this historical station. It’s just a small little place, but a great time to stretch your legs and take some pictures.
Glenfinnan Viaduct Photography
Beautiful by any observer but extra special for Harry Potter fans, the Glenfinnan viaduct is part of the iconic journey to Hogwarts, getting a photo is coveted and can be achieved with preparation. Here are the questions I had before I attempted to get the photo, as well as the answers that no one could give me.
Q. I want to be able to take a picture of the front of the train while going over the viaduct, so what side of the car should I be sitting on?
A. Technically you’ll want to be facing south, but the reality is that it’s not possible to choose your seats in advance and be able to know which way the car will be oriented, so don’t prioritize this.
Q. What point on the train gives you the best angle for taking the best picture?
A. Because the train will be on a curve, the further away from the engine you get, the better and more apparent that “bend” will be. The first-class car is closest to the engine, but taking a picture from the first-class car will be the least ideal. I took my photo from the space between the first and second class cars, and while I didn’t have to compete for window space at the crucial moment, the vantage point would have been much better from the back of the second class car, or the window space between the second-class car and the next further back car.
Q. When should I be ready to take the picture?
I couldn’t get any information about when the viaduct would come into play during our ride, so I stood at the designated spot that I staked out for nearly an hour before we arrived at the viaduct. Sit down, enjoy your ride, and after about 30-40 min, go find your spot to take your photo. The viaduct is a large clear area and you’ll see it coming. Also, everyone is going to be sticking their phones out the window to snap a pic at the key moment, but it takes long enough to go over the viaduct to allow for several shots to be taken and then allow others to take theirs…. share the space to cut down on the number of other phones you see in your pictures. Also, you’ll go over the viaduct right before you stop at the Glenfinnan station when heading west.
What To Do In Mallaig
First of all, there’s very little to do here and you’ll need to be prepared to kill some time before you make your return trip to Fort William. There’s a small art gallery that we enjoyed but spent WAY more time in than we would have done if there had been other things to do, but as was the case at the time, the alternatives where a small grocery store, an itty bitty Harry Potter themed alley shop called Hagrids hut (or something like that), an outdoor outfitter shop, coffee shop, and one small lunch place right by the train station. Visit all of those places and you’ll probably still be watching the clock until it’s time to get back on the train.
Questions or Comments? Leave me a note!
Top 10 Reasons To Visit Vietnam
My Highlights From Vietnam
We visited in early January, so the weather had both an impact on the activities we were able to do, as well as our enjoyment of those activities.
#1 - Street Food Tour
There’s no shortage of street food tours available on TripAdvisor and Viator, and there’s no need to spend more than $40 per person (on the VERY high side) to have an amazing experience. For more about our experience in Hanoi, click HERE.
#2 - Hoa Lo Prison
Part of going to a place like Vietnam is learning about not just the history of the country, but also the impact that our country has played on it. A visit to Hoa Lo prison is covered in another post HERE.
#3 Dong Xuan Market - Hanoi
Dong Xuan Market is housed within a four-story Soviet-style building on the northern edge of Hanoi Old Quarter. If you discover that you may not have packed a sweater or a pair of shorts, you’ll have no shortage of options here!
#4 Egg Coffee
Trust me, you want to try this odd beverage while you’re here!
#5 Location
A great advantage of Hanoi is lower humidity than what you’ll find in the south, but when flying into Hanoi you’re also very well poised for multiple side trips to either the coast or to the mountains! We so badly wanted to visit Sapa but the weather was not ideal in January.
#6 Ha Long Bay
Just a few short hours by bus or private car from Hanoi, Ha Long Bay is a beautiful UNESCO site that you don’t want to miss! Read more about our experience HERE.
#7 Custom Tailoring
If you find yourself in central Vietnam with at least three days available to you, you should get some custom clothes made! Read more about my experience HERE.
Aspen Summer Break
“A Little Place Called Aspen”
In this episode of “I have to get out of town but can’t go overseas because of COVID,” we’re visiting the crown jewel of Colorado luxury destinations, a little place called Aspen.
Taking just a week away to visit Colorado, we spent three nights and four days in what is my new favorite Colorado summer destination, but here are a few things you should know.
Getting There
There are a few different ways that you can get to Aspen, however the most obvious is to fly directly into Aspen, or to fly into Denver and then drive the rest of the way… I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a nice view while in the car? A less obvious alternative is horseback, but that might have been preferable to what happened to us.
We chose to fly into Denver, rent a car, and then drive the brief 3.5 hours west to Aspen. It was an easy drive, scenic, and validated our choice to save on flight cost by going into Denver rather than Aspen. That was at least until it was time to go back to Denver, in which case the Colorado wildfires and a couple of jack-knifed tractor-trailers forced the closure of I-70, sending us way out of our way with a nearly nine-hour drive.
The moral of the story, cheaper isn’t always better, so drive Colorado at your own risk.
Stay
We’re big fans of utilizing hotel loyalty programs and with multiple Marriott concept hotels to choose from, we opted to stay at the W Aspen. The staff was very friendly and helpful, the location was perfectly walkable to everything in Aspen Village, and the amenities were excellent. I’ll share more about our experience at the W in another post.
Another hotel option that landed on our radar once we arrived, however, was the Hotel Jerome. While we did not see any of the rooms at this historical hotel, the lobby was next level. We did get drinks and some bites at the outdoor dining concept for the hotel.
Experience
With just three days in the Aspen area, I had to make an effort not to overschedule us as I’m known to do, so I wanted to pick a singular activity that would be memorable and fun for both of us. I chose Stand-up Paddle-boarding (SUP) at North Star Nature Preserve just outside of town. That said, due to a drought in Colorado, the water is very low, and use is somewhat restricted, but we still very much enjoyed the experience!
Shop
Hello, vacation! I’ll be the first to admit that Aspen is not what I would consider being a “budget” destination, although you can be frugal. Part of what I loved about Aspen was the high-end shopping experience that I don’t have back home, so you might say that window shopping is a favored leisure activity for me. That said, there are a variety of stores and if you look hard enough you might still find some solid gold nugget deals. I purchased a vintage suede jacket that I found at an antique store, and also splurged a little bit and got a custom Stetson hat from Kemo Sabe.
Eat
Come hungry and leave happy by taking advantage of the diverse food scene in Aspen. Since we're not made of money and in the interest of being frugal, we utilized a daily dining credit at our hotel which we used for breakfasts in exchange for declining housekeeping service, this saved us about $50 per day.
For lunches, we mainly stuck to budget-friendly sandwich shops and gastropubs, but what would a vacation be without the occasional spendy evening out? Not frugal by any measure, but worth every penny, we did treat ourselves at a French Pan-American restaurant called Betula. With a romantic/modern vibe, Betula is a great option for special occasions or date nights and is the perfect option for dinner or dessert and a nightcap, I highly recommend it!
Tips & Summary
Of the things I wish had known or done differently concerning the planning of our weekend getaway to this destination, I present you with the following list:
Don’t be cheap - Fly into the Aspen airport and save yourself time and potential driving headaches
Don’t rent a car - You do not need a car if staying in Aspen village and parking is both limited and expensive (particularly during the winter ski season)
Leave your nice high heels at home ladies - The brick roads and walkways will murder the material and caps of your more delicate spiked heels
Expect to pay 20% or more for everything, because it’s Aspen
Give yourself time to relax and take in the scene - Aspen was made for people watching so give yourself time to get bored of sitting at sidewalk cafes or in the hot tub while taking in the mountain views!
Questions or comments? Leave me a note below!
A Weekend Escape To Springfield
Vacation Close To Home
When you don’t have a ton of time or can’t afford to go very far, consider a weekend in exotic southwest Missouri, more specifically, Springfield Missouri.
Where To Stay
Hands down the Vandivort is the place to stay for a great change of pace! For a full review of the Vandivort Hotel, see my other post HERE.
Where To Eat
One of the best parts of vacationing is eating at new places and Springfield has a fantastic mix of startups, established eateries, and everything in between.
Starting with breakfast, here are two great options worth checking out that fall on different ends of the ambiance spectrum.
Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe
Located downtown and across the street from the Vandivort, Gailey’s has traditional breakfast foods served up in a classic Americana diner, the coffee is good and biscuits are warm, but you might want to call ahead as the wait for a table can get pretty long.
2. Tea Bar & Bites
This place is as cute as a button and is tucked away in the charming Raintree neighborhood (not far from downtown by car). Despite a limited rotating menu, this place will NOT disappoint, but get there early as seating is limited and the pastry items sell out fast!
3. Rountree
Located at the intersection of Pickwick Avenue and Cherry Street is a collection of eateries and taverns so tasty that you may find yourself going back day after day. With at least eight different places to choose from, this is a great option for anyone wanting a variety of different things to eat ranging from kimchi fries to kombucha.
4. The Cow’s Pajamas
This mobile frozen treat vendor is cute as a button, and while they do move around, we paid them a visit at the Route 66 Food Truck Park which was definitely worth a stop on its own!
5. Cafe Cusco
This delightfully colorful Peruvian inspired eatery will have you feeling like you’re a jet setter!
What To-Do
Having been built since I finished college, I’d never taken the time to visit the Wonders of Wildlife on any of my return visits to Springfield, but this being more of a mini-vacation made it feel like the time to go.
In Closing
There are a thousand other little things I could suggest, but at the end of the day, I have to bring this post to a close. With this in mind please feel free to ask questions in the comments below or shoot me an email!
Oban The Gateway To The Isles
Tour Argyll and Spend Time By The Sea
If you’re planning to do a semi thorough tour of the Highlands, a visit to the county of Argyle should be on your list for several reasons.
An Itinerary
We chose to rent a car and drive from Edinburgh to Oban and make a few roadsides stops along the way, but we didn’t anticipate the slowness of the roads in comparison with the more direct interstate system that we have in the United States. Knowing what I know now, here is what I would suggest as a better alternative:
Pick up your rental car in Edinburgh first thing in the morning
Stop at Helix Park and check out the Kelpies
Stop in Stirling and tour Stirling Castle (which closes in the late afternoon)
Drive through The Trossachs National Park and catch a glimpse of Loch Lomond
Then call it quits for the day and hunker down in a nice little B&B for the night
Continue the journey the next morning and make your first stop at Inveraray Castle and take a tour of the home still occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Argyll
Complete the remaining distance to Oban during the daylight and in time for dinner (things close early there).
Plan to use Oban as a base for island hopping, and be sure to book your island ferry tours WELL in advance of your arrival. The only island we were able to book standby tickets for was the Isle of Mull, but we waited until the day before we wanted to go, to attempt booking the tickets. I recommend that you look into visiting:
Mull
Iona
Staffa
Where To Stay
There is no shortage of B&B’s or other small hotels here, but you’ll not find much in the way of larger chains. However, the Oban Bay Hotel is part of a small, local chain of hotels, and is ideally located on the water’s edge. Dripping with Victorian charm, the hotel common areas had been recently renovated to a very comfortable and charming standard, while other areas of the hotel were still closed (as of the time that we stayed in May of 2019) for renovation. That said, while we were very excited that they offered a small number of family-style rooms that were a lifesaver on our budget, the room was very basic, the carpet was threadbare, and the water in the shower was either ice cold or melt your face off hot. I would suspect that room renovation was probably on the “to-do” list for them and if so, would stay here again.
What To Do in Oban
As mentioned previously, there’s not a whole lot to do here, and most of the shops were very touristy. However the town is not without charm, and we never did take advantage of two of its main attractions. The most famous being McCaig’s Tower, an unfinished project resembling a Roman Colosseum. The second attraction, which we didn’t even realize was there until we were about to leave, was Dunollie Castle, which is a castle ruin overlooking the water and is open to the public.
We did, however, pay a visit to the Oban Distillery, which is both interesting and relatively unique among the plethora of distilleries in Scotland.
The Show Must Go On
Our time in Oban marked the half-way point of our time in Scotland, so there’s lots more to come as we continue our journey north, up the west coast of the Scottish Highlands.
Questions or Comments? Leave me a note below.
Top 5 Things To Do In Paris
Five Things Not To Be Missed In Paris
I don’t recommend trying to see Paris in just three days, but if that’s all the time you have then here are my top choices for things to see without eating up too much of your limited time.
Sacré-Cœur
When you think of Paris Notre Dame is probably one of the first three things to come to mind, but ever so sadly it might be a very long time before anyone gets the opportunity to set foot inside those beautiful walls. However, an often overlooked church (but very special in its own rite) is the Sacre Coeur, located on a hill top overlooking all of Paris in the coveted neighborhood of Montmatre. The view alone is worth the trip up the hill!
Click HERE for more information about my three day tour of Paris
2. Cocktails at Bar Hemingway
Paris is a city known for luxury, elegance, and a dash of decadence and nothing embodies that better than the famous Ritz hotel. Tucked away in the back of the main floor is an itty bitty little bar made famous by Ernest Hemingway. However, be mindful that with all the luxury comes an equally decadent price, a cocktail here will set you back $30 euros so I would suggest that you start your evening with a single drink here and then you head off to dinner.
3. Dans Le Noir
My husband and I consider ourselves “foodies” and it’s no secret that the visual experience of food has an impact on your opinion of the taste of that food. That said, we jumped at the opportunity to have an entirely new eating experience in which you dine entirely in the dark. We had an amazing time and would highly recommend that you visit Dans Le Noir the next time you’re in Paris.
4. The Ultimate Souvenir
Nothing says “France” like the classic black beret, and while cheap versions made in elsewhere are plentiful, we found a great little shop in the heart of Le Marais called “Chapeaux Du Marais.” We purchased cashmere beret’s made in Paris and the quality was second to none.
5. The Eiffel Tower
As cliche as it may be, seeing this iconic landmark with my own eyes definitely made my heart do a little a dance. We saved this activity for the evening when it would be less busy, and it was totally worth it to see it sparkle! *The lights only run for a few minutes each hour, so be sure to both check the schedule and to time your viewing accordingly.
