Vacation? ~ Curious Minds for July 1

[bellemere]

VACATION ? ? Let's talk vacations, old and new. Record numbers of Americans are staying home this summer. Fewer plan travel over 4th of July What are you planning to do this summer?

Nat King Cole - Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

What was your favorite summer vacation as a child??
     What was your favorite vacation you took with your children? Why?
          What would be your  fantasy  vacation as an adult??
               What are some ideas for those not traveling this summer?
                    What makes us plan a vacation?
                         What was the worst vacation you ever had?

Contact:  Ann

Well, this summer so far has been a staycation for me.  My small patio with umbrella table and plastic chairs, lots of books and my iPod full of Chopin,   With my failing eyesight, reading in bright daylight is a delight.  And much as I hated getting hearing aids, I can hear bird songs loud and clear, especially at twilight.  I have two tomato plants to watch  and a new Knockout rose bush that has been terrific.  Still dream of travel, but i may have to settle for Cape Cod beach and the Boston Symphony summer conerts in the Berkshires.  If I were to go anywhere it would be back to Ireland or to Andalusia.  Only thing in the way is that long plane ride!  

[Steph]

A lot of London is just the same and wonderful. Our problem was we stayed at a Hilton ( odd for us) and it was in the section of London which has turned heavily arabic.. Other areas are wonderful.. We do buses, the tube and trains in England. They all work well, on time and I love them.
But then we do trains everywhere.
I agree about Wales.Several years ago, we did a southern England tour .. Then did some Wales.. What a beautiful place..Haunting..

[serenesheila]

What a treat, reading about all of your vacations!  It brought up many fun memories of vacations I have taken.  After my husband died, four of us who were widows, rented a beach house on the North Coast of California.  We rented the house twice a year.  We spent our time exploring, playing bridge, and trying out restaurant.  We had a wonderful time, each time we did that.  I discovered a little town, called Mendocino.  I would love to live there, except there is no hospital in that area.

My husband and I used to spend a week each year in Encinada, Mexico.  More great memories!  We were living in Sacramento, CA., and had grandparents in So. CA.  So, they kept their grandchildren, and we had a week to ourselves. 

Two of my vacations were in Europe.  My son and his wife, worked for the US government, at Ramstein, AFB.  I  spent a month there with them, and my two grandchildren.  We took a weeks vacation at Garmich.  We took a train from their home in Brochmuhlbach.  We rented a car and driver, and toured the entire area.  It is beautiful there.

I went again, two years later, and took my adult daughter, and my adult granddaughter.  We took a few days and spent a week in Rothenberg.  Most of the buildings in ther town, were built in the 1400s.  It began as a walled city, and the wall encircling the town, is still intact.  Then we flew to London.  Again we hired a car and driver, and toured.  We spent almost an entire day shopping in Harrods.  During our tour, I asked the driver to please take us to 84 Charing Cross Road.  A movie by that name is one of my favorites.  I have seen it numerous times.  I was sooooooooo disappointed as the book store was no longer in business.  Instead, it is now a pizza shop.

Next, we went to Dublin, Ireland.  Again, we rented a car and driver,  and explored the area in, and around the city.  We visited Trinity College, and the young people went pub hopping a couple of nights, while the youngest two, and I, were satisfied with room service and TV.  I have never been as cold in my life, as I was, both times in London.  Brrrrrrr

We also spent time in Nurmburg, Salzburg, and Vienna.  Of all the places we visited, Salzburg was my favorite.  During both trips to Europe, one of my favorite things to do, was shop at the outdoor, Christkindlemart.  Blocks and blocks of stalls, decorated for Christmas.  It was like a county fair.  Both times it snowed lightly.  It was magical.

This year my only plans are to go to San Francisco, for a few days, with my adult daughter.  We both love the city.  We plan to go the end of August.  We are going to splurge and stay at the Ritz Carlton.  SF is only 80 miles west of where I live.  I want to take another ride on the cable cars.  Get lots of fresh seafood at the wharf.  My idea of a vacation is staying in a nice hotel, and enjoying room service.   Give me a good  book, and I am content.

Sheila

[Steph]

We are now in Lebanon ,Pa and will do a bit of exploring here. We stayed in Lancaster a few years ago in the rv and thoroughl enjoyed ourselves.Thought we would try a bit further west and see how that goes. Then on Sunday down to the Shenendoah Valley in Va.

[maryz]

Steph, the Shenandoah Valley is SO lovely!  I know you'll enjoy it.  We did find that I-81 through PA, MD, and northern VA is in terrible condition.  It's so heavily traveled, and the trucks have beaten the pavement to pieces.   

West of I-81 on I-77 in Beckley, WVa, is the Tamarack Arts Center that houses an incredible array of arts and crafts by West Virginians.  Good food, too.  It's definitely worth a stop if you're interested in going in that direction.

I can also recommend the campground at Douthat State Park, Virginia, a little west of I-81 and north of I-64.  There's a good restaurant there, too, with some good crafts shops and food at the nearby town of Clifton Forge.

Are you going to get through Chattanooga?  If you are, e-mail me, and we'll see if we can meet you somewhere.

[Maryemm]

Eloise : I know Tenby quite well. and as for that handsome policeman..............I had lots of first cousins who were really good-looking males and so I was popular with the girls as a result : they wanted introductions!

One of them, now in his 70's was abroad some years ago and was annoyed to be the subject of attention of two groups nearby. He ignored them but the next morning one of them came up to him and said, "I am so sorry we stared at you last night, but you are Sean Connery, aren't you?".

My cousin, who always was a joker, raised one eyebrow, and, in a passable Scottish accent drawled, "How did you guess!"

I miss the mountains of South Wales. They are not on a par with those of North Wales but I could see the former from my old home and i loved them. I was always brought up to treat the mountains "with respect," as fog or snow meant possible trouble.

[Steph]

No, no Chattanooga this time.. Probably later in the year or early spring, we will be going that way. We will go down 77, but then veer off, myhusband has a cousin in Anderson,SC. We will stay there a few days at a nearby park to visit, then we cut down through Athens and Macon, GA to get on 75.. then it is a straight shot home. We want to be home on the 26th. We hated Beckley, but it was because of the campground. Way up in the hills, mostly all full time residents. Small slots, ugh..A road that gave me nightmares. I wanted to go to Tamarack, but once in and once out on that road was enough for me..
Am looking forward to the Valley however.. We always seem to have missed stopping there. Loved the Iron Foundry in Cornwall, Pa. Beautfiful.. In operations from 1743 to 1883... Charcoal type. Really fun, very low key

[maryz]

Hope you have a good trip, Steph.  We'll have to see you next time.   Our oldest daughter lives just south of Anderson - between Abbeville and Due West.  (Love those small town names.)

[Persian]

I've not posted here, but it surely has been a pleasure to read about the various trips made throughout the USA and globally.  I was born in Los  Angeles and lived in San Francisco, so really appreciate the South and North of that great State.  I've also lived in Portland, OR as a youngster and through first year of high school, returning to a suburb of Los Angeles.  In the late '40 - early '50's, our family lived in Michigan.  As an adult, I've lived in Montana, Maryland, the Washington DC area - the latter since 1966 - China and Iran.  Now I reside in NC, about 20 miles NE of Charlotte.

London is indeed a wonderful city in Europe.  I'm truly sorry that several of you were uncomfortable in the "Arabic" section of the city.  People from many countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa have immigrated to England, especially London, during the past decades and, in many cases, those from rural (and often uneducated) back grounds are simply not accustomed to Western clothing customs, language interchanges (joking, descriptions of tourist sites, and public mannerisms).

As many of the posters on our wonderful new SeniorLearn site know, my husband is an Egyptian professor of Humanities.  He has traveled extensively in Europe, pursued his Ph.D. at a British university, and has remained in touch with many of his longtime friends.  And although I am a native Californian, I've also lived in the Middle East, served as the Cultural Liaison Officer at the Egyptian Bureau in Washington DC and had many Arabic-speaking students in my classes at the University of Maryland, as well as during summer classes which I taught at American University, George Washington and Georgetown University in Washington DC.  Thus, my comfort level and experience with an array of cultural behavior among Arabic-speaking people is somewhat different.

Although I experienced similar "discomfort" in China during a visiting professorship there, until I let it be known - publicly and in a VERY direct way - that I was not going to be the focus of general discussion everytime I stepped outside my door.  I traveled to the Western areas of the country, interacted with the Uighurs near Urumqi, where I had an opportunity to use a few words of my VERY basic Turkish and Chinese.  Actually, I had more cultural problems with the Han Chinese officials than I did with the rural tribesmen in/near Urumqi!

I remember the earlier posts RE travel in the former SN site and have always enjoyed the experiences which were shared with all of us there.  ELOISE, I recall one of the BASHES you helped to arrange in Canada.  JOAN - I definitely recall some of the trips you and your wonderful Theron made and shared with us when you returned home.

Since relocating to the Southern region of the USA in the Summer of 2004 to help my son prepare his house for sale before his deployment to Iraq, I've learned to better understand the customs and culture of the American South.  They are ENORMOUSLY different (in speech and behaviour) than any I've experienced throughout my lifetime.  But it's another opportunity to learn and share some of my own multicultural experiences.

Keep traveling, Friends, and be sure to continue to bring home wonderful stories about your experiences to share with all of us.

Mahlia

[pedln]

I must agree with Sheila and Mahlia, it's been a real pleasure to read about so many delightful vacations. Steph, I do hope you get to Tamarack sometime.  I used to stop there for a trout lunch, when on my way to visit my Charlottesville daughter, now in NY.  As for the Shenadoahs, a few years back my daughter and her partner took me to Graves Mountain, which offers cabins, a lodge, and the biggest seafood buffet you can imagine.

Sheila, your beach house vacations with your friends, playing bridge,  trying out new restaurants, sound like true vacations. One of the best vacations I had was with SeniorNet Books when we rented a beach house on Isle of Palms. There were 17 of us. We had free time, we played games, we found restautants and also had lots of good food cooked by Eloise and Anna.

Like Sheila, I want a good book on my vacation.  I think an ideal vacation would be to be by a swimming pool and lovely gardens (for walking), to have a stack of books (and a shady place to read them)  DVDs and a large screen to view them on, and restaurants with good food and lots of choices.  I like exploring, but no schedules please.

[Steph]

Vacations are such individual things. We explore the small areas in the rv and the national parks, which are a joy. Presidents houses and libraries, all of the small town pleasures. Then usually one time a year, we fly or drive to a city, stay in the heart of it and walk everywhere. That too is a joy in different ways.. We also love to take classes and do so whenever we find something that interests us.
Mahlia.. I remember all of your good advice when I went to Egypt some years ago. Tried very hard to follow it and wore long sleeves and dresses.. Loved the sights of Egypt. I got quite ill there, turned out to be shingles, but the doctor there thought I had been bitten by a spider and really scared me . But I still loved the temples and tombs and museums. Did not like the constant pushing and pulling at the tourist sites. I know they have to make a living, but I dislike being touched by strangers, which made it hard for me. I also did not understand after the long haggling, why they then said.. NOW what are you going to give me as a gift.. Caused me a lot of confusion and them.. well they lost a sale completely.

[ANNIE]

Much as I hate to do this, I am ending this discussion for CM's.  This has been quite a nice ride with all sorts of ideas coming from each of your posts.  Wish we could continue but I am involved in two books plus all of the other places to visit on SL plus S&F's.  Thanks to everyone who posted here and have a nice summer and fall.