Back Home in Santa Rosa

It is true, there IS no place like home! Fall has arrived with her vived colors and brisk mornings. Saturday we turn back the clocks and I begin to count down the days, one minute at a time, until Spring.

Our next trist is a visit on the world's largest passenger ship, Royal Caribbeans the new Oasis of the Seas. We will board in November for a 2 day cruise to nowhere to explore her many unique features. I will be bringing the video camera this time! Look for a post of a video from the ship.

Happy Halloween!

Flying Dutchmen Travel: The rest of the story

Flying Dutchmen Travel: The rest of the story

The rest of the story

Oct 18 - 21, 2009

We are all back onboard and will be enjoying a day at sea tomorrow. Most of the passengers went to see the Pyramids of Giza and stayed overnight in Cairo. Our group was delighted to find themselves staying in the brand new Fairmont Hotel that only opened 2 weeks ago. Reports were that the staff could not do enough for them! And that the rooms were stunning! Proof is that everyone took photos of the bathrooms!!

The Pyramids of Giza - During Egypt's Old Kingdom the pharaohs established a stable central government in the fertile Nile Valley. Perhaps the greatest testaments to their power were the pyramids and other tombs built to shelter them in the afterlife. Many of our group went into one of the chambers of one of the Pyramids – not for those who are claustrophobic. You cannot stand upright, you have to bend at the waste or even crouch down. Everyone was thrilled at visiting these marvels...and THRILLED at riding on a camel! The group also visited the Cairo Museum where the remains of King Tut are housed. And many thousands of other artifacts dating back thousands of years – everyone agreed a full day or more is what is really needed to do it justice. In Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt, there is an atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern. My favorite view was across the Eastern Harbor to the Mediterranean. Lots of great looking beaches for people to visit – unfortunately there was not enough time for sunbathing on this excursion. What really blew my mind is the new Alexandria Library. There are over 8 million books housed there and they have stored over 70 BILLION web pages! The layout of the building is 11 stories, however, they do not reside one floor upon another, instead, they are terraced. You can stand in the viewing point and see the entire library – quite fantastic!! There is so much more to Egypt, but not enough space here. Anyone wanting to visit should email us and let us give you our take on the best possible holiday that includes Cairo, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings.

Kataklon, Crete - We took a tour from the port to the Ancient Olympia - where the original Olympics were held. Along with the original Olympic field, we saw the Temples of Zeus and Hera. After our tour of ancient Olympia, we went to the town for lunch, and a leisurely shopping stroll through town before returning to our ship. Then it was on to Naufplion, the original capitol of Greece. This is a very cosmopolitan small city with lots of winding streets filled with shops and restaurants. After the assault on our senses in Egypt (18 million people in Cairo alone! THIS is the city that never sleeps!), all agreed that this quaint seaside town was one of the favorite stops.

Athens. The city with the most glorious history in the world, a city worshipped by gods and people, a magical city. It is the city where democracy was born and most of the wise men of ancient times. The most important civilization of ancient world flourished in Athens and relives through some of the world's most formidable edifices. Many of our group elected to stay a day or two in this fantastic city to visit the antiquities, mainly the imposing Parthenon, and eat and shop around the famous historic triangle called the Plaka.

I must mention the people in all of these destinations – they were all quite wonderful to us. The Turkish with their carpets; the Egyptians selling us camel rides and the Greeks just being Greek! Someone said ‘people get along, it is our governments that fight’. Other than a bit of extra jostling from the illegal vendors at the Pyramids, everyone agreed that in each country they felt welcomed. All in all, another great cruise!!

Life's A Trip!

Today we are sailing in the Mediterranean headed towards Alexandria, Egypt onboard NCL Jade. We are escorting a group of nearly 200 people that we met on Friday at the airport in Istanbul,Turkey-(Constantinople). Starting in Istanbul-- WOW, what an amazing city. Depending on whom you talk to, there are somewhere between 14 to 17 million people living within this sprawling city. There are thousands of mosques! The most famous mosque is the Blue Mosque – Sultanahmet mosque. The majority of our group took the time to visit this mosque that was built between 1609-1616. We also visited Topkapi Palace built in the 1400’s. And then there is Hagia Sophia: the most renowned Byzantine cathedral and the best–known Christian church in Istanbul. The first church of the Hagia Sophia was built between 325-361 AD and the church that stands in its place today was declared a national monument in 1934. We also visited the covered bazaar built originally in 1461 and rebuilt to its present plan of 65 streets within the market in1701. Carpets, dishes, clothing, jewelry, knick-knacks, small restaurants – it is all in there! Speaking of carpets – there are stores everywhere as this is where the carpets we still use today originated from. Istanbul’s second covered market is the Spice Market - originally built in 1660 and restored to its present structure in 1943 – the smell of the spices is delicious. However, there are more souvenir shops than spice shops located here. Still, we managed to buy a number of spices and look forward to some scrumptious meals when we get back home!

Then it was on to Izmir, Turkey. Izmir is most famous for the ruins of Ephesus. When the buses first pulled up, most wondered what was so special about these ruins. There were some pillars and large stones but nothing unusual. Our guide continued on for about 5 minutes down a dirt and stone path and then –VOILA! – there in front of us was a city! Mosaics painstakenly restored; the stone bathrooms, a library, houses, streets. All in all, amazing! There is also a 24,000 seat coliseum type stadium that both Madonna and Elton John have performed in! Back to carpets – we were taken to a school/factory where they make the famous Persian/Turkish carpets. First you are taken into a small room and then you are offered apple tea. Offering tea or something to drink is considered to be a sign of friendship. You return the sign of friendship with your Visa card…

We then sailed for Mykonos, Greece. Everyone loved the winding streets and friendly atmosphere. Some even rented motor scooters and scooted around the island to the beautiful beaches on the other side from where we docked. Most had time to walk and eat and drink and shop! And then it was on to Santorini. Oh yes, there were those that took life and limb in hand and rode the donkeys up the 400 plus stairs to Fira, the capitol of Santorini. The views from Fira and Oia are world-famous – the white washed houses against the dazzling blue of the Mediterranean. We then sailed to Iraklion, Crete. It is the largest city in Crete and 4th largest city in Greece. This is no quaint Greek city – Iraklion is a big, busy city. There is one of the most interesting archeological museums of the world located here. And did I mention ---- Starbucks! Oh yes, in Istanbul and Iraklion you can find the ever-expanding coffee company.

Now we are having a day at sea –whew! – and everyone onboard is looking forward to the next port of Alexandria, Egypt. Many passengers will be taking shore excursions to Cairo to visit the Pyramids of Giza and the Cairo Museum that houses thousands of artifacts not the least being all of the artifacts from the tomb of King Tut.

Phoenix, Arizona

Just got back from Phoenix. While the rest of the country seems to be hunkering down for brrr cold weather, it was a balmy 90degees in Phoenix. I went on business for 4 days and stayed at the Biltmore Hotel - "known throughout the world as the "Jewel of the Desert," the Arizona Biltmore provides a restful oasis of 39 acres covered with lush gardens, glistening swimming pools, and Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced architecture. Set in the heart of Phoenix, the Arizona Biltmore has been a favorite of celebrities and U.S. presidents throughout its colorful history."

WOW! is what I say about this hotel. The accomodations range from hotel rooms to one and two bedroom villas. I had the good fortune to stay in a one-bedroom villa. Bring your hiking shoes though, as this property is quite big. You can always be picked up via golf cart to be transported to the lobby and restaurants, but I opted to walk everywhere.

Dining options are good and the food was very good. Service everywhere was a 10! There are 740 guest accommodations; 78 one-and two-bedroom villas; Eight swimming pools; Seven tennis courts; A full-service resort spa, salon and fitness center and Five dining options. The adjacent Arizona Biltmore Country Club boasts two 18-hole PGA golf courses: The Links and The Adobe. I didn't get a chance to play, but I won't make that mistake the next time I stay there!

Read here for the history of this magnifent restort http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/About/History.aspx. The place is luxurious but not pretentious - my favorite kind of resort.

Looking for something relaxed but elegant with all of your needs for spa and golf and just relaxing? This is the place! Oh, by the way, they are celebrating their 80th birthday this year!