Tag: travel

The last time I posted was in November of 2019, recounting the adventures on a cruise to Australia and New Zealand that I enjoyed with my sister. I returned home to celebrate the holidays, then started working on several home hospital cases, helping students who were out of school. This was a part-time job, that allowed me to work when I wanted.

I’d planned to work until March, and then I had several trips planned, some long, some short, all in the United States.

Then Covid came to call, and we were on lockdown.

Actually, it wasn’t so bad. I had lots of at-home projects. I read. I walked every day and took pictures of nature in my immediate environment. I had food delivered. I was very careful. Being an introvert and a bookworm became an advantage.

i didn’t go anywhere until I was fully vaccinated. I took one short plane trip as a “test drive” to see a friend for a few days in April.

My first “big” trip was a week in Hawaii in July to celebrate the birthdays of my sister and her family. I wore an N95 mask on the plane, thanks to my dentist, who swears that his brand is the best. Since I’ve visited Hawaii many times, our outings were few. We had lots of great takeout food items thanks to my nephew and spent lots of fun family time together.

We attended a play, went to a party, and had some walking time too.

My next journey also involved the Pacific Ocean, taking a road trip with a friend in her nice car! We did a two-night, three-day trip to the Santa Cruz – Monterey Bay area, using the charming village of Capitola as our base. I saw a long time friend dating back to junior high who lives part time in Santa Cruz who toured us around the Santa Cruz – Capitola area and had a delicious burger at Betty’s.

We also had a day in Pacific Grove, exploring the many boutiques and galleries. One of my friends lives there part-time and knows the best shops and restaurants. We also enjoyed strolling the beach parkway.

A month later I spent a long weekend in Los Angeles with a busy agenda: we visited the Norman Simon museum for a special Picasso museum, saw a Cécile McLorin Salvant concert at the Ford, and visited with friends.

After a long pandemic without company. I had to relearn my social skills! It felt so free to be out and about again.

My next trip will begin in less than a week. A friend texted me with an offer I couldn’t refuse: she asked me to cat sit. She adopted a gorgeous cat that she got during the pandemic and I’ve been a feline fancier all my life. I won’t tell you the location, but I’ll tell you it’s a ten hour plane trip. Another friend will join me for a few days.

I’ll be posting next week. Stay tuned!

So how did you spend the pandemic? I’m hoping that you and yours are well and you’re contemplating travel once again. Any travel plans? Let me know in the comments section.

Stay safe!

Yes, this is a Tasmania Devil. We cavorted with kangaroos and met this shy devil and some pretty birds on my birthday at the wildlife sanctuary. It was a lovely day…but that was a while ago..

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Three days have passed since my birthday and we’ve been on the ship, in a dead zone between Australia and New Zealand. Everyone had to give up their dependence on media. We had two sea days, followed by a guided tour of Milford Sound and Fjordland National Park today. The scenery was dramatic, to say the least. Getting an upgrade to a balcony worked out well today, since it was much easier seeing the scenery at 6:00 AM from our room than on deck!

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Ship life is fun! We enjoy playing trivia in the afternoon and going from one musical venue to the other in the evening. The five young people in the Lincoln Center Stage shows are impressive for their talent and musicianship; they play two shows a day. There are two violinists, one cellist, a violist and a pianist, all classically educated – two from Juilliard. My sister and I are smitten by the darling duo piano player guys whose repartee and timing are impeccable. They play the Billboard hits from various decades and encourage sing-a-longs which gets everyone involved. The BB King group plays the R&B hits from Memphis with verve and panache, and with lots of dancers participating. All groups are very well attended and there’s standing room only unless we arrive early.

And, of course, there’s the food. We’re trying to curb our tendency to gluttony by concentrating on natural foods: fruit and yogurt in the morning and bourbon and rye in the evening. Just kidding…🥂🍸

Tomorrow: Dunedin, New Zealand.

What is Aloha? A dictionary definition will indicate that it is a type of greeting, so it can mean “hello” or “goodbye,” but locals will tell you it means much more than that – it is the essence of beIng, a feeling that peace and harmony surround us. Greeting a friend with an “aloha” is an expression of love, mercy and kindness. The direct translation from the Hawaiian is” the presence of divine breath. “

It’s always good to be here. I came as a tourist for the first time in the mid-70s and returned many times . My sister and her family moved here in the 80s, when my brother-in-law was transferred here with the United States Air Force. They retired here after that – better than shoveling snow in his native Pennsylvania, he said.

I flew out of San Francisco on Monday and had a smooth flight, landing as twilight was coming to the island.

We decided that I should take a taxi, though normally my sister picks me up. The island is lovely, but traffic is not, and rush hour is worse here than almost anywhere in the fifty states. I had an experienced taxi driver who knew the way with little difficulty. My sister and family live in Waikiki, about a twenty minute walk from the beaches. Like the Kings of Hawaii, they knew the best place to live when they purchased their high rise condo over thirty years ago . It is a bustling metropolis and they’re in the hub of all the action: movies, theater, restaurants and museums ate not far away.

I was treated to a delicious home-cooked meal with a sparkling present of silver earrings and a dark chocolate birthday cake. Even though my birthday is mid-month, I’ll spend the entire month celebrating it. I settled in for a good night’s sleep in the guest room. As I glanced out at the lanai before turning in, I could see that the traffic had subsided a bit.

I woke up the next morning and peeked out of my guest room window.

Here’s a view of Diamond Head from my room – not bad! Good morning, Honolulu.

After a light breakfast, we went wandering and did some shopping at a new TJMaxx and Nordstrom Rack, met friends for lunch at Whole Foods, then picked up some goodies there for a light dinner.

We visited a new shopping center that replaced a quaint area called Ward Warehouse that we used to visit. The skyscrapers were a bit of a shock ( progress?) but, fortunately, the new area retained some of its local flavor, with unique shops showcasing artisan arts and crafts.

My nephew also lives in the building and it’s been nice seeing him drop in from time to time. He lives in the 33rd floor so he has a higher view, but the view from my sister’s house is extensive, as it is an end unit, so we can see a variety of landscapes, from Diamond Head at one end and the mountains on the other side. There is often a change in the weather with rain in the mountains and sun at Diamond Head. My sister’s place is on the 26th floor.

Today has been low- key, as my sister works on packing and I make the arrangements for our flight, like checking in and looking at possible excursions. I’m grateful that we aren’t running around. We will need our strength for our ten hour flight.

We leave at noon tomorrow and arrive in Sydney at 7:45 pm Friday. We will check into the Amora Jamison Hotel and will, unfortunately, only have time for a morning tour of Sydney before we board the ship, rhe Holland America line’s Noordam,

I’m glad we’ll have a sea day after leaving Sydney. I hope to be blogging when we’re at sea. I’ll get the Internet package and I’ll have phone coverage. My sister will text photos back to the family.

Getting excited yet?

As the sky turns pink, I’m thinking of tomorrow: the taxi will be here at 7:45 AM, so we’ll be up early. It’s now time to eat dinner, re-pack, re-organize and get ready for the next leg of the journey, this time with my favorite sister.

Aloha from Hawaii!

After our delicious breakfast at Two Bunch Palms, we were back in the road, driving the back roads to Palm Springs.

We crossed over highway 10 and drove and drove, enjoying the landscape, the architecture and, eventually, the main drag of Palm Springs.

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We vowed to return to the ice cream shop, but in the meantime, Marilyn had some possible shopping to do at a vintage store. We looked but nothing said “ Buy me!” except one very reasonably priced top for me.

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Hunger overtook us, so we had a frozen yogurt treat to tide us over until dinner. Cute shop!

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We were back on the road, driving through Rancho Mirage, with streets named after people like Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore, and we finally arrived at our hotel, Hotel Paseo, a boutique hotel, part of the Marriott chain. It was right in the center of town, with an unusual item parked in the lobby.

Oddly enough, even through the word PASEO was shown in bright neon pink, it showed off as white in the photograph. Also notice that there are holes cut in the building so the two palm trees could continue to stand majestically on the property.

We had a lovely balcony, with a view of the setting sun. We decided to take a stroll, looking for dinner – and we found a wonderful place!

The Maitre d’ at Mama Ginas’s welcomed us. Even though it was a very busy, lively place, we were able to snag the little table with the banquette without a reservation if we promised to be gone before 8:00. It was 6:30 – no problem! Marilyn had soup and cannelloni, and I had shrimp scampi. Did we have dessert? You betcha!

Our evening after dinner was spent strolling the streets, peeking in windows and enjoying the ambiance of the small town chic setting. We vowed to return to see some of the shops – from the inside.

The next morning we walked down to a really cute French cafe we’d seen on our evening stroll. I chose beignets and a fruit salad. What a wonderful breakfast! The local customers were very friendly. It must be nice to live here, except in the summer! Our weather was perfect.

After breakfast, we wandered down to see the shops, then, after one purchase, we got our bags, checked out and left this unique part of the country. I was taken to the tiny but efficient Ontario airport, a drive of two hours, where I was deposited for my flight home. Marilyn had another hour of driving to do. We did see one unusual sight along the side of the road. No, it’s not real.

Our vacation was only three days but seemed much longer, because we had a variety of experiences within a small geographical area.

I just finished packing. Yes, tomorrow I’ll be flying to Honolulu on the first leg of my journey with my sister. I will stay with her and my brother-in-law for three nights, then she and I will fly to Sydney to take a two-week cruise of Australia and New Zealand, starting in Sydney and ending in Auckland. It will be nice for me to break up the long trip with one five-hour flight tomorrow, then three days later we’ll have a ten-hour flight.

Won’t you let me take you on a sea cruise?

The cost is free and hopefully you’ll enjoy the trip with us. We know how to have a good time..

Marilyn has lived in the Los Angeles area most of her life, except for early years on the East Coast and college days at Cal; she knows the freeways well and is an excellent driver.

We took the road to Pasadena, then cut over and went due east to the Palm Springs area. As we drove, the landscape changed.

We could see the windmills as we got closer to the area.

Our first stop was our first city, Desert Hot Springs where we were staying at Two Bunch Palms resort.

The hidden resort was couched in a curve in the road leading up the mountain. There were no signs, but we spotted an unobtrusive booth with two attendants. We were greeted by a young man, who checked the reservation list and let us in. Our car was whisked away, our suitcases were taken care of, we checked in and wandered around the property. Desert Hot Spring, is aptly named. The town is filed with natural waters and the resort is set up with a grotto, individual and group tubs, classes and treatments, and palm trees..lots of palm trees swinging in the breeze. The resort has been in existence for quite some time and has been modernized over the years.

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Our spacious room was housed with a group of structures near the tennis courts, with a back yard with a fence. The bathroom was huge and luxurious. I displayed my new thermos bottle and matching tote bag, our gifts at check-in.

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There is a restaurant and we had a late lunch and breakfast the next morning there. The food was excellent and the views were magnificent.

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The natural setting and plantings helped to make this a very relaxing place to visit, far away from the workaday world and the stress of daily living. It was truly a get-away.

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Second city: a neon chic vibe comes to us in Palm Desert at the Hotel Paseo. Stay tuned!