Divided By a Common Language

While I was in London, I took pictures of signs with phrases that would baffle or at least puzzle most Americans.

"Fly Tipping" is the practice of dumping your trash in an area where you are not authorized to do so. (Like in someone elses dumpster....)




Clamping is similar to towing a car away. (i.e. Tow Away Zone)







I think franked mail is like metered mail. The only reason I know this is that the other mailbox said "Stamped Mail".







"Fiddly, but worth it." I think this means something like "It's quite a bother..but worth it."










I have no idea about this one...








This one isn't puzzling...just amusing. Let's see the Mayors office in Dallas put out a campaign like this!

More Later.

Off to London to see the Queen......

Well, I didn't actually see her...but as you can see I was at her house. Since I didn't get to post many London pictures, I'll include a few in this post.






Here is the Portobello Road Market, which is held each Saturday.








Here I am in front of Scotland Yard.

As I said before, I am now home and safe back in Texas. I previously eluded to the fact that my trip home was a little more harrowing than I would have liked. You may remember that I changed my flight to the 10:30 nonstop. I was previously booked on the 2pm nonstop. I counted back and figured that meant I needed to be on the Underground by 6:30am.

As I walked up to Paddington Station, I saw that the gates were closed. Uh Oh! Later I learned that on Sunday mornings that tube station doesn't open until 7:30am. While I was waiting around with some other folks before we learned the truth, a red city bus pulled up and five young men got off the bus. It quickly became clear that four of them were upset with the fifth one. I didn't see any punches thrown, but one of them was restraining the fifth one and there was clearly a conflict in the group. The rest of us moved away from the conflict until the young men dissipated.

After I figured out the issue with the tube station not opening until 7:30am, I saw a young man and lady with large packs, obviously traveling. I asked if they were also headed for Victoria Station and they were. I explained the issue with the tube station and asked if they wanted to split a cab. They enthusiastically agreed.

The cab took us right to Victoria Station, I got on the Gatwick Express, went through check in at Gatwick and learned that although the volume of my carry on bags was not excessive, the fact that they weren't contained within a single bag was a problem. At Gatwick you can only carry one bag on and that includes a lady's purse! I went and purchased a cheap large bag from a luggage store downstairs and I was all set.

The flight was uneventful and I was ecstatic to see my family at the airport. I'm glad to have traveled and I'm glad to be home.

More Later.

I'm home and safe....

I just wanted to post a quick note to let everyone know I am home and safe. In the next few days I'll post my harrowing ordeal of getting to the airport. I'll also be editing and publishing the podcasts I recorded on my trip.

I've been able to stay caught up workwise, more or less..so I'm hoping the transition back to real life will be gentle.

More Later.

Lovely London

It looks like Blogger is having image uploading issues tonight...so no pictures on this post...sorry!

Today I had the luxury of an unstructured day with nothing planned. I woke up at 6:30am and did a little bit of research and looking for something I wanted to do and just couldn't find anything. So, I decided just to wander around all day and see where the day took me.

High points were the Portobello Road Market, having a cream tea at a tea shop, sitting in Hyde Park, sitting in a rose garden in St. James Park, watching some sort of horse guard inspection, eating about 8000 calories worth of food and seeing many of my favorite London sites.

My best high point though, was meeting my friend Jackie for dinner and play. I have so enjoyed seeing her these last couple of days.

I just changed my flight tomorrow to one that arrives home 4 hours earlier...which means that I have to wake up in about three hours to begin my journey home...so..ta ta for now!

More Later (from Texas!!)

Last Leg in London

Today I have traveled via Easy Jet from Prague to London Stansted. Before I start in on the trip, let me say something about my new friend in Prague, Pasquale. Pasquale operates the Arcadia Residence and the Arcadia Old Town. I stayed in "Kozna 1" at Arcadia Old Town. I cannot imagine a cleaner better equipped place, a better location, or a better value. If you are standing at the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square, turn around walk about 20 paces, then turn right on Kozna street...walk another 10 paces...then you're at the front door.

The picture at the top of this post is the frescoed ceiling at the top of one of the oh so many churches I toured yesterday. This picture to the right is me beside one of the guards at Prague Castle.

Yesterday one of my new friends, MaryLee had a sinus situation happening, so Ellen and I took off to take in more of Prague. She had the agenda and I followed along. We went back to Prague Castle (which we had seen with Blanca the day before) but this time we bought the ticket and went in. A big part of the interior was closed off due to a state function taking place. They knocked 50 Crowns off the price of the ticket to make up for it, but it was still a bummer.
I am a walking international bank. I have with me Czech Crowns, British Pound Sterling, US Dollars and Euros. I have never felt more like I am spending Monopoly money in my life. I just get used to one currency, then I am off to the next place. This morning when I paid my bill to Pasquale, he told me my total in Euros. I handed him all of my Crowns, and he converted and deducted that. Then, I gave him my remaining Euros and he deducted that. Then, I still had like 40 Euros left to pay. I told him "I have US Dollars, British Pounds and credit cards, which would you like?" He chose the US Dollars.

This picture to the left is St. Vitus Cathedral. It is a defining structure of the Prague skyline. It is within the grounds of the Prague Castle. Mass is still held in all of these churches, but I'm told they aren't very well attended.



Now, I'm in London! I got on Easy Jet this morning. I am a big big Easy Jet fan now. They are a discount carrier and they seem to really have their act together. They have done away with the nonsense that standard carriers deal with. On Easy Jet, there is no refund or re-using a ticket if you don't go...you just don't get your money back...too bad. The amount of money is so little, however, that if your plans change it really isn't that big of a deal. They have a wide variety of food for purchase onboard and it is actually decent food! I had a sandwich and a Diet Coke and it was really good! Expensive..but good! They turn their planes around in 25 minutes. The flight staff were really friendly and you could tell they were really dedicated to that 25 minute turn around time. They went around picking up trash off the aisle floor and even cleaned the bathroom while we were coming in for a landing..none of this waiting for the ground crew business.....

I'm going to go ahead and publish this (if Blogger cooperates) and dial into the office and get some work done.

I'm very very excited to be going home on Sunday, but hope to squeeze some fun out of London before I do.

More Later.

Pretty Prague

Today is my last day in Prague. I know I haven't blogged much, and right now I only have about 30 minutes, so I must type and upload pictures quickly. The reason for the slow down is the lack of Internet in my room. I believe that will be included in my baseline requirements for travel to Europe. My requirements are few. My accomodations must be safe, clean, in a central part of town, inexpensive and now must include internet access.

This picture is me on the train from Krumlov to Prague. It was a very old train, but it got the job done.


Here is my home in Prague.

Just kidding.



This is not my home either, although it is visible just a few steps from my door.



I am staying in a flat just a few steps from the Old Town Square. Yesterday I decided to take a 7 hour walking tour which covered all of the big sights in Prague and included lunch and a river boat ride. Quite the bargain for $40.00 US, wouldn't you say? The instructions were to meet by the Astronomical clock at a certain time. Ellen, Mary Lee and myself were the first to appear. They are lifelong friends traveling together. Mary Lee is currently living in Salzburg because her husband was transferred to Saudi Arabia. The company would not allow the family to live in Saudi...too dangerous, but if they moved to Europe, then dad can come visit every month as opposed to twice a year if they stayed in the states. Ellen, is over visiting Mary Lee and touring Europe with her.

They are both from Florida. Ellen has a son who is doing a semester in Prague, so we met him for dinner last night. The three of us are meeting by the clock again in 20 minutes, so I must hurry.


This is Blanca, she was our tour guide yesterday...she was very very good. I got her email address and will refer clients to her in the future.







I will wrap it up with this picture of me in front of St. Vitus Cathedral

More Later.

Tomorrow, London Baby!!

Blogging in Prague

It is 10:24pm and I am at the Bohemian Bagel in Prague. Everyone tells me it is safe, but I am still nervous walking alone so late at night. So, I just wanted to check in...I will compose my blog entry on my computer back in my room and transmit it when I am not so pressed to get my to my room.

I have been on walkting tours all day and got hooked up with two girlfriends traveling together. They are both from Miami and one of them is temporarily living in Salzburg due to her husband's job. So much fun...we are meeting again tomorrow morning.

I hate not having Internet in my room. :-(

More Later.

i am in prague

please excuse my lack of captial letters. i am at an internet cafe without my laptop and the keyboard is not good.

they tell me i can hook up my laptop if i bring it in, which i will do tomorrow.

i am here and safe. prague is beautiful. that is all for now.

more later.

It's an iPod Miracle

For some reason, I decided to try plugging in my iPod in one more time to see if it had "healed". Hope springs eternal, I guess.

Miracle of miracles...it came to life. I left it plugged in all night and now it is fully charged. Just in time to do a podcast with Jiri (the guide from yesterday) before I leave this charming town.

I really am sorry to leave. These Castleview Apartments are so comfortable with such great facilities. I think I could just slow down and amble around this town for a few more days, but Prague awaits. I believe I am in a comfortable place in Prague as well, but without Internet access. :-(

I'd better hop in the shower so I can get over to breakfast before they close it down.

More Later!

Dobry Den from Czech Republic

(Dobry Den means Hello in Czech.)

What a beautiful place I have been enjoying today. I have taken a great multitude of pictures and will have a hard time deciding which ones to share with you here.

I spent three hours with Jiri, my friendly and knowledgeable guide. The history of this beautiful place is swimming in my head. Less than 20 years ago the Czech Republic was still under communism. He showed me buildings that still look like most of the buildings did here during those times. Jiri just retired as an English teacher and a high school counselor. He was a teacher during communism and continued on after the Velvet Revolution. This picture is taken from the top of that tall castle spire I showed you yesterday. I now have dozens of pictures of this spire from different angles.

This is one of those cities (like Venice) in which you can't get too lost. The Vltava River almost completely circles the old town, so if you stay within the river, you can't get too far. I spent the whole afternoon wandering around. Jiri told me I needed to try potato pancakes and a local beer. I obediently did so and reconfirmed to myself that I really don't like beer at all. I've had potato pancakes at three places now and have found that they vary widely.

As per usual, I visited the local grocery store. I learned that the Kroger near my house, although it is quite small for the Dallas area, is a palace.

This is just a beautiful medieval town. Cute shops abound here. I bought a cute pair of earrings as well as a couple of locally made wooden toys for my niece and nephew. My own children always get candy when I return from my travels. My logic is that they consume it and then I never have to put it away ever again.


After the beer fiasco, I went to another little river side cafe place and sat and ordered some tea. I heard english being spoken behind me, so I eventually turned around and asked where they were from. They are from Toronto. We talked for probably an hour. They are part of a 100 person incentive group. He works for a company that makes cardboard. I guess they must sell an awful lot of cardboard in order to send 100 people to Europe.

These interesting circle bread thingys were sitting on all of the table at this cafe. I didn't eat one, because I had no idea how long they'd been hanging there or how many flies had landed on them.

For dinner I had pork knees. For the record, I don't like pork knees. I had some bratwurst as an appetizer though, and it was really good.

Tomorrow I will catch a train to Prague. I keep hearing from people that I am absolutely going to love it. I'll let you know!

More Later.

I'm in Cesky Krumlov

This isn't my hotel, but I thought you would like to see pictures of the main town square.





This, I believe, is a tower on the famous castle in this town. I'll know for sure when I go on a tour tomorrow with the guide I have hired.






More of the town square. LOTS of tour groups come here...most don't stay for the night. It should be interesting tonight.





This is my bed....it is a queen if not a king...I think it is a king...





This is my kitchenette....but best of all.....






This is my television that has several English language stations via Satellite. Okay, they're all news stations...but that's fine with me.



I'm going to spend the rest of today working and resting and tomorrow I'll take a look around!

More Later

....The One in Which Cathi Fries Her iPod

Consider this an advertisement for travel insurance.

I plugged my iPod in to be sure it would be good and charged up for the train trip tomorrow. An odd screen with a yellow triangle, an exclamation mark and something like a lightning bolt flashed for a moment....then.....nothing.

I had it plugged into the same converter that has been keeping this laptop alive and functioning for three days now but apparently the iPod didn't like something about it. I just called TravelGuard (I bought a policy before I left) and they assured me that I am covered for the iPod. I know it will be a pain to file the claim..they always want so much paperwork, but I feel better knowing I won't have to replace it at my expense.

I am sad that I won't have my iPod for the rest of the trip though.

:-(

More Later.

Biking Through Austria

Guess which activity I chose for today? That's right! I took Rick up on the opportunity to use one of his bikes and his map and tour book and I rode for about 5 hours total to a winery a little way out of town. I enjoyed a snack and some wine while I was there. It was quite a beautiful ride. Most of the way I was on bike trails. Only a short time involved sharing a right of way with an automobile.


I've discovered that one of the biggest pains in the neck about traveling alone is having to ask strangers to take your picture. The picture of me on the bike was taken by a longsuffering gentleman I stopped along side the rode. I had to give him the camera, then I had to explain that I was going to get on my bike, ride down the path a little, then turn around and ride back in front of him. I rode past him twice and he took four pictures. I was fortunate that I stopped someone who spoke English.

Inside each of the doors built into this hillside are wine cellars. This area that I biked t was just lined with these little wineries. It was very beautiful. You might notice that the little road beside the wine cellars is cobblestone. You just haven't lived until you've biked uphill over cobblestones. The only thing better than that is biking DOWNHILL on them when you are even more sore than you were going uphill.

This picture is my futile attempt to take my own picture with the Danube river behind me. You can see why I must ask other people if I actually want a good picture. Right now I am figuring out the technicalities of my rail voyage tomorrow. It appears as though my best option involves catching a 6:24am train. If I don't, my journey will take alot longer and will involve changing more trains. I'm also trying to finish up here and get back to Westbahnhof prior to 8pm. I want to go ahead and get my railpass validated so I don't have to worry about it so early tomorrow.

So, I'd better hit "publish" on this entry and get going!

More Later!

It is Amazing What 12 Hours of Sleep Can Do

Ahhhhh! Twelve hours later and I am a new person. This picture is the ceiling in my room.

Just Kidding.

It's a dome near the Lipizzaner stables here in Vienna. Pretty though, don't you think?

Tomorrow I will travel from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov. I will stay here. I am booked into the Attic apartment (#2).

Today though, I think I'll take Rick up on that offer of a bike ride up the Danube.

Here are two little boys playing with a remote control car in Heroes Square. I love how some things are the same wherever you go. Little boys love their toys...everywhere around the world it is the same.

I was so tired I didn't even mention the opera I went to yesterday. It was "The Elixer of Love". The opera house here allows you to buy standing room tickets 90 minutes prior to the performance. There are several wonderful things about standing room tickets. One is that they are cheap. 3.50 to be exact. Another is that you can come and go during the performance. Perhaps, like me, it is the first time you've ever seen an opera and don't know if you'll want to sit (or stand) through the whole three hours. This is a night shot of the Vienna Opera House at night. Really a beautiful building inside and out.

I was very blessed to find myself standing in line next to a Canadian lady (who teaches music across the border in Washington State) who has studied opera and was able to give me a thumbnail sketch of what it is all about.

I found it fascinating and would perhaps like to go again when I am not jetlagged and exhausted. Next time I would also like a seat.

After I left the opera I made my way via subway back to my little room. One old homeless looking fellow grabbed at me as I was walking through a subway station. I'm really not sure if he was actually grabbing me or just reaching out trying to get my attention. Either way, I backed off, looked him in the eye and said "NO!" and continued on my way. No worries. He was old and frail. I could have taken him. :-) If I weren't traveling alone I might be more open to such interaction, but I have to be careful.

When I emerged on my street I realized that I was a little hungry and that I hadn't eaten since lunch. I walked quite a way down the street to find somewhere open and found nothing. So, I turned around and took advantage of the only available eatery. That's right.

I ate a Happy Meal at McDonalds.

I can't believe it either.

More Later.

What a Day

First of all, my beloved mate Philip brought to my attention that my usage of grammar in the last post left a little to be desired. Let me just say that my sleep is more than a little messed up, so cut me some slack.

For instance, this morning I woke up at 2am and never did get back to sleep. I didn't leave the room until 7am, but I was never asleep again after 2am. It is now 10:13pm and I have been going like the Energizer Bunny all day.

Here's what I've done today:

7am: Left my room and made my way to the office where I would begin my Segway tour.

Let me just say "WHOA!"

That was the most fun I've had in a long time. Here are a couple of pictures of me on the Segway:

The other two ladies in the picture are Diana and Jackie. They are friends traveling together who both live in England. Jackie fell of the Segway later in the tour and, while she wasn't seriously injured, she was shaken up pretty good and also ripped her pants. They sent a truck from the tour office to come pick her and the Segway up and they delivered her back to her hotel. She had mentioned before the tour that she was...shall we say...coordinationally challenged.

Our tourguide's name is Karin. She was very knowledgable and really helped me understand the history and significance of Vienna.

After the tour, I did a Podcast with Rick, the owner of the tour company. He has extended an offer to me to borrow a bike tomorrow and ride up the Danube river. I will either do that or go to Salzburg. On one hand, I don't feel like spending 6 hours on a train. On the other hand, my body is SO TIRED right now that I can't imagine riding a bike for 5 or so hours tomorrow either. I'm sure I'll feel differently tomorrow.


For lunch I ate at the Cafe at the Sacher Hotel. This is where Sacher Torte, the famous chocolate cake, originated. In case you're wondering, yes I did try the cake. (I know! How unlike me!) Just between you and me, the chocolate cake at Amy's Bread in New York City has it beat hands down. This represented the first sit down meal I'd eaten since arriving in Austria.

Stuffed full of cake and soup and a sandwich, I started on what Philip likes to call the "Honey Deathmarch". When we travel together and I take off walking and he tries to keep up, he's convinced that I'm trying to kill him. I'm really not. I just like to wander around. As I walked, I took pictures. Lots of pictures. (Do you hear me, Jean?) I'll share a few of them with you here.




I'm going to see if I can perhaps sleep through the night tonight. I hope you're doing well. Vienna is beautiful. You should come see it in person.

More Later.

I Have Arrived

I am blogging to you from my bed in Vienna. This pictures is of the building where my Pension is located. My window is on the third floor, the third window from the left. If you look closely you can see my window slightly open from the top.

Do you see that T-Mobile store underneath me? I am able to pick up the T Mobile hotspot right here in my room. Pretty cool...I thought I was going to have to find somewhere else to get online, but I'm doing it right here from my room.

It was a long journey, but I am here. Everything was fairly uneventful, which is a good thing when you're taking three planes to get somewhere.

The dayroom in the Zurich airport was fantastic. I got right there, fell right into bed and slept for 4.5 hours.


Here's what I look like after traveling for 24 hours. This is me on the City Airport Train from the Vienna Airport getting to the city center.


When I got here I discovered that my converter would not take a grounded plug. My laptop has a grounded plug. I can't believe I didn't even think to check that! This laptop weighs a ton and I would not accept that I wasn't going to be able to use it after lugging it around the world. So, I scoured Vienna looking for an adapted and I finally found one. You should see the arrangement of adapters and converters hanging off the wall making this connection possible.

In fact, I'll show it to you:


So, all is going well so far. I ate a sandwich in my room for dinner. My Segway tour is tomorrow. I'd better see if I can get a little more sleep.

Until tomorrow!

Day Before Vacation Mentality

Zig Ziglar talks about the Day Before Vacation Mentality.

You've all experienced it. You're leaving the next day for vacation and you have a million loose ends to tie up. Some of the loose ends have been loose for quite some time. But, for some reason, you are SUPER-PERSON today and you manage to get them all done.

Today is my day before vacation. Tomorrow morning at a little before 11am, I will board a plane to JFK, then another one for Zurich, then finally a plane bound for Vienna, Austria. I'll be away from home and office for 11 days.

My To-Do list has never been more accurate. I'm carrying it around like the Holy Grail. Every thought of a incomplete task goes right to the list. (None of this "I'll write that down in a minute". In Day Before Vacation mode, you know you might not have that thought again.)

Things are coming together well. I was up at 6am balancing my checkbook (3 1/2 months worth...yikes!) I went to Kinkos this morning to make three laminated bag tags from business cards. I'm charging my iPod right now. I made a return to CompUSA yesterday and I also picked up dry cleaning. So many details.

One interesting thing. On my journey that begins tomorrow I will have a 5 hour layover in the Zurich airport. I was thinking how nice it would be to have somewhere to stretch out and relax. I actually found out that the company that manages the airport has dayrooms there at the airport. The cost to reserve a single room for the time I'll be there works out to about $40.00 US. Sign me up!

Unless something occurs to me, the next time I blog will be from the road.

Until then!

Making Arrangements to Go!

Wild Travel Deals has taken off in a big way. We are fine tuning how we choose the promotions and how we post the various offerings.

The whole process fascinates me. What properties and destinations will appeal to people? What wording makes people click on one ad vs. another? What makes people go ahead and pick up the phone and call?

Learning about all of the various markets around the country is also interesting. Here in Dallas things will be pretty quiet until January. In other parts of the country, things will are starting to hop now.

I am putting the final touches on how I will remain able to maintain WTD while I'm in Europe. I'll talk more about that in the next couple of days, but I'm very excited.

More Later.

Just so you know....

.....it really isn't okay to book online after we have a conversation about what you want for your trip, your budget, your time constraints, and all of the million other questions you had.

I am a professional with almost 20 years experience. I have spent a great deal of money and time on professional education including traveling to the destinations we've spoken about.

Taking advantage of my expertise then booking online is, frankly, rude.

I could understand it if I couldn't find anything acceptable for you, or if I failed to call you back in a timely manner, or even if you found a better price online.

(Even in the event of a better price online, courtesy still requires at least a phone call. 99% of the time a significant price difference is due to a significant difference in the vacation that you may not become aware of until it hits you in the face when it is too late to correct.)

If you want to book online, fine. You basically have two options. Either completely book your trip online (that means research and all). Or, we do offer an hourly rate for professional consultation to help you narrow down your options. Just be sure to let us know at the beginning so we can go ahead and collect payment for the fee.

Sincerely,

Your Friendly Professional Travel Agent
(I'll give you one guess as to what inspired this post....)

Travel Journal

I bought a blank travel journal today. I probably wouldn't have bought as fancy a one as I did except that this one has travel quotes scattered throughout it.

I love travel quotes.

If you've ever gotten a letter or an email from Legacy Travel you've probably seen a quote at the top.

Here's one in my journal I hadn't heard:

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we would find it not." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wild Travel Deals

I guess its time to announce my latest project. I've mentioned a couple of times being consumed by an endeavor that was quite time consuming.

Take a look at the best resource for great travel deals ever.

TA-DA! Wild Travel Deals.

I'd love to hear your feedback on it. Either send me an email or comment right here on the blog.

More Later.