We stayed at the famous Frontenac hotel in Quebec. This hotel is over 130 years old. The service was unbelievable. We had a great room and I had to ask Mark when he was in the room to open and close the shade so I could figure out which one was our room. Finally, I saw him. Very expensive. We only stayed two nights and then we stayed in a cheap hotel in Quebec, but very much worth it to be there on Canada Day.
Canada day July 1, 2026
The Royal Mounties and Mascot gold horned mountain goat. It was 88 degrees!We took a hop on half off bus around Quebec. In a lot of cities, this is well worth it, but it was not worth it in Quebec. This is the shot of our hotel from the other side.A great little restaurant across the street.Michelin star restaurant in Quebec! We loved this restaurant. It had a set seven course meal. My God how they can talk about one carat with 50 adjectives – but that carrot was good. It was our first night in Quebec and so Mark ordered a Makers Mark old-fashioned. The bartender came over and said he wished. Canada had boycotted all Kentucky bourbon. He told Mark that if he had any his suitcase he’d be glad to buy it from him. He says we can’t wait till this is over cause we’re missing our Kentucky bourbon. Apparently Canadian club bourbon is part bourbon part scotch.Carriage horse racing on Thursday’s and Sundays.Mark took a picture of the tip sheet and asked AI to pick the winners- but no real winners.The race starts once the truck speeds up and gets out of the way.
A great little electric boat ride down the river. Only 14 seats and a very interesting story about lumber in that town. Pick up the boat at the yacht club and have a quick delicious sandwich before your tour. In many languages.
The clouds were unbelievable and yes we got poured on for a little bit. No one left. This Festivouixwas a 10 day event in Trois Riviers. The biggest stage sits right on the river so you get great views and great music. Almost all songs were in French but we still loved being with all these people!This was another highlight of our trip at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Thousands and thousands of people listening to this Hispanic band. Luckily, we found a seat and enjoyed walking around downtown Montreal, listening to all different kinds of languages and music. These stairs are awful. Sometimes they go three flights. I watched a big Labrador dog refuse to go up in the middle of the stairs.The top floors are cheaper, but not many dogs want to walk up those stairs in the winter. I would not want to walk up those stairs in the winter. All over Quebec, where these old houses that are redone for families on different floors.It is always good to travel when the world soccer cup is going on. Lots of fun in sports bars . There’s something about soccer and rugby that you really need to be in another country to absolutely see the joy of the people. We had somewhere to go every night where we could be around a bunch of people all happy all yelling for their team.This is called butt cleavage- the new rage in Canada.You hang the bottom part of your bottom out. We saw this almost every day!
We were fortunate to get tickets to see Lionel Richie in the big stadium in Montreal. Along with 15,000 other fans he still has that star power.
Lionel Richie was fabulous!
The Notre Dame Basillica Montrel ! One of my favorite things we did on this vacation. This is a great laser show in the summer. You have to have reservations and get there at least 15 minutes early as it fills up. Don’t sit right at the front or you will miss half the show as the lasers climb up and down all the way to the back. No photos or video allowed. This makes the church about $80,000 a night. I can only imagine the salesman trying to sell the priest on his idea. Then how thrilled the church must be to be making almost 500,000 a week in the summer. Truly one of my favorite things we did in Montreal.
Description The AURA experience is a true immersion created by Moment Factory. It allows you to discover an architectural gem of Quebec’s heritage in a new light while celebrating its exquisite beauty. Thanks to state-of-the-art projectors and lasers, the interior of the Basilica radiates from floor to ceiling. The AURA experience accomplishes the unthinkable: giving life and movement to a timeless place… Don’t wait any longer, buy your tickets for The AURA Experience at the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal! *THEA Award | Outstanding Achievement, 2018; APPLIED ARTS Design Award | Entertainment Arts & Tourism, 2018; NUMIX Award | Video Mapping, 2018
We also liked visiting these waterfalls on the Montmorency Falls. You can zip line really inexpensively. I no longer seek this kind of recreatuon. The waterfalls are beautiful. This is a picture of the falls from another angle.Whenever we travel we make a cheat sheet with all the information and the hotel addresses and phone numbers on one sheet of paper. I always keep a copy of this in my wallet. Several times when the taxi or Uber driver doesn’t speak English. I just pull this out and show them the address. That way if we ever get lost or don’t speak the language we have all the information without the Internet.
There was several things that we really liked about this Canadian vacation.
One the US dollar buys $1.37 in Canadian.
Two the Canadians are so warm and welcoming to us. We had eaten at a restaurant in Montreal and went to look at a laser show. The US was playing a soccer match and we decided to skip the laser show and come back to the restaurant to see the final of that game. The restaurant was closed, but the door was open, so I walked in and asked the fellow could I just see the score and he told me they were closed and then we started talking. Mark asked if he could buy a beer from him and the guy manager told us that no the bar is already closed. But then he got up and went over and asked Mark what kind of beer he wanted and got Mark a beer and me a water and we got to sit and talk about the game in America and Canada.
One of the waiters told us that in Quebec all leases end on Canada Day. July 1 so everybody moves on that day and he had to leave because he had to finish moving. Makes sense because it’s warm and it’s easy to move in the summer.
The other thing that they talked about was climate change and maple syrup. Apparently the maple syrup has to have a minimum nighttime temperature and a maximum daytime temperature and they were not getting those this year. They were getting way too high in temperature. He said I’m sure AI will come up with a substitute, but I grew up on Canadian maple syrup and I wanted to continue.
Three I liked the fact that there are not very many metal detectors. I have a pacemaker so that’s always a problem to go through and I rarely had to go through a metal detector.
Four -Another thing we liked was Uber was very easy and 30% off.
Five -SQDC- recreational marijuana is legal and readily available in many forms throughout Canada. In the Quebec region it is all owned by governmant stores called SQDC. They are in most towns. What I liked was the had sweet teas in a can that are THC infused. About 5 dollars and tasty.
One thing that we did not like, was the the fact that the sun comes up at 4:30 in the morning. Even with double shades in our rooms -the sun came through every hotel we stayed at.
We got married on Derby Day in 1991. Mark’s grandfather was from Kentucky so we had to ask him for his approval before we could get married on such a sacred day for the people of Kentucky. He said ok as long as we can watch the race during the reception. We all placed bets and the winner was -Strike the Gold. I won $20 along with 20 other people.
So for 35 years I had been dreaming of going to the Derby and finally on our 35th Anniversary we made it! This was the coldest Derby in 40 years. It only made it to 54 degrees with big winds too. Of course I had planned my sleeveless outfits an hats for months and this weather was not expected. So I brought along a little white fake fur jacket, a puffer coat and a long raincoat. I needed all those coats for the weather. I did take off the coats for pictures.
The fake fur that kept me warm!
The long raincoat that kept me warmer than a cheap poncho.
Derby is on Saturday and the Kentucky Oaks is on Friday. The Kentucky Oaks celebrates women and breast cancer research so everyone is supposed to wear pink on Friday. Here is my Kentucky Oaks outfit and hat. This was taken in the Paddack area where the horses walk around before they race. It is always fun to go to this area.
Tips for surviving two days at the Derby
Tip number one-Transportation to the Derby
First of all you have to get a hotel that will help you with transportation to the Kentucky Expo parking lot. You can also drive your car to this parking lot and catch a shuttle. Over 100,000 people come to this event. It is crucial to have your transportation figured out.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Crown plaza by the airport. They are located across the street for the Kentucky expo which has busses going all day directly to the Churchill downs. Fast track you right there. So the Crown Plaza would shuttle you to the expo whenever we wanted to go. When we came home at night we just called and they picked us up at the expo and brought us back to our room. This was such an excellent service.
One night we got onto the ADA bus and they dropped us off at a very different location and our crown plaza driver made sure to find us. On derby day there were a lot more people and getting on the bus’s to the expo. There was a long line. It took us over an hour to get on a bus. So while I was waiting in line I checked UBER. The lowest cost would have been $87 and a 30 minute wait. Honestly I had no idea how a UBER driver would even find us in the crowds. So we waited and finally got home.
Tip number two-your hats
Buy your hats first then the outfits to go with them. I must have ordered 10 different hats from amazon and returned them all. Not as advertised and crammed into too small boxes . All of them looked cheap.
Finally I went to Atlanta mart and found a wonderful hat dealer and ordered 5 hats. I took those hats to many stores before I figured out which dress’s to wear. The next big problem with big hats is transporting of those hats. My hats were 19 inches in diameter and 10 inches high. I could not find a hatbox big enough so we made one to hold two hats. I bought a 20x20x20 box at ups and we built a shelf at 10 inches. We placed a piece of cardboard as the shelf. We made a carrying strap out of rope and reinforced it inside and now I have the best hatbox for two hats.
Top layer of home made hat box
Bottom layer of the box with hat number 2- notice the 4 corners to hold the top shelf
Tip number 3-your purse, tip sheet and programs
Derby rules say you cannot bring anything larger that a 12x12x6 bag. It does not have to be clear but it cannot be larger. Yes I know it is not cute but you will need this bag for many things. First of all if you insist on wearing high heels or cute uncomfortable shoes than pack another pair of sneakers or comfy shoes.
Second when you first walk into the derby there are many young men offering you free drinks and derby glasses. These glasses cost $15 at their store so take that drink and pour it out and keep the glass. I collected five of them and was glad I had my big bag to carry them.
No umbrellas are allowed so I also packed a long raincoat . Although it did not rain- I needed it for warmth. You also want to keep your programs and anything else you might need for a long 8-10 hour day. Once you enter the derby you cannot leave and come back so be prepared for the whole day. We also packed binoculars as we were sitting in the top floor in starting gate area. The wind was brutal up there but we could walk around and not be stuck in our seat. I just left this bag in my seat with my credit cards and no one ever touched it. Of course there are cameras everywhere.
Tip four -Betting
All betting is done with cash only, no credit cards. There are many ATM machines around but sometimes it can be a long line so get your cash before you go. There are many different tip sheets out there but I bet on names that I like.
I also will bet on longshots like Golden tempo which was 30 to 1 and Ocelli which was 70 to 1. I won big on both of these longshots. I wish we would have bet more than $2 or $5. Next year I am going to do more $10 bets on horses. Basically we won most races so we broke even on betting.
Tip number 5 go look at all the people
Forget the Met Gala – go see ordinary people dress up. I have always been a hat gal and I was in heaven. I showed my hats to a friend of mine before we left and she said you will be the envy of all the women at the derby. Well no! I was in the mid range type of hats. I would say there were three types of hats. The lower level was amazon hats which all look alike or home made hats. The second level were nice hats like mine. The third level was over the top hats. Some were 3 feet big. So for two days we got to see all kinds of hats.
Stunning fashions.
Gorgeous hats.
Cute homemade hat.
Beautiful rose hat.
Matching hat and coat.
Big hats and everyone carries these 12x12x6 bags.
A lot of couples outfits match.
Even the boys wear pink on Kentucky oaks day!
Tip number 5-cost
Expensive! We ordered our tickets through Derby Experiences. Our tickets included food and drinks and a dedicated seat. The food was blah. Definitely unremarkable. Free drinks are nice but I had two drinks the first day and one the second day, so they made money off my drink package. We paid about $7700 without hotel and transportation.
Transportation from hotel would have cost another $600. They only had two times they left for the Derby -which was 9;15 am and 12;15 and only one time to come back at 30 minutes after last race. This was from the same Crown Plaza where we were staying.
If we went with their package our hotel would have been around a $1000 a night. We used IHG points and saved that $4000. We use our IHG credit card for everything we purchase. so we can earn points. I mean everything. All groceries and any thing we purchase to get the points. We pay it off monthly but by always using this one credit card we earned a $4,000 worth of hotel stays. This 4 night stay we used all of our points that we had been saving. Our room was wonderful and transportation was a breeze.
Our seats were at the Starting Gate Rooftop Garden 7th Floor. We had our own dining, bar, and betting and a smoking area on one side. I would have really liked this location if it was not so cold and windy.
Our seats on 7th floor rooftop starting gate.
The whole track.
Our view a little enlarged.
Things to do close by
The Louisville Palace Theater.
A beautiful theater!
Over 100 years old and looks a lot like the Fox theater in Atlanta. Very cool place to watch a concert. We saw the Black Keys on Sunday night before we left Louisville. Glad we had earplugs . A very cool venue to check out before or after the derby.
Noah’s Ark
The Ark Encounter.
How they stored food.
Baby Dinasaurs!
We drove about 100 miles to see the Ark in Dry Ridge Kentucky. We did not go to the museum which is 45 minutes away. I found it quite interesting to see this 510 foot boat and learn how it could have worked for 40 days and 40 nights. How they collect the water in a big sieve and how all the animal waste was disposed of.
Make sure to get there early and see the movie at 9;30 about building the ark. It was the dream of many very religious people. Yet I did not feel it being crammed down my throat. I loved the fact they brought in 3 Amish builders to help with the construction. They also brought in Universal studio employees to make up the animals for the cages. No live animals are in these cages just replicas. I liked the dinosaur babies. I also like how plush the peoples living quarters were. You can rent motorized wheel chairs as there is a lot of walking. They do have elevators inside too. We spent just a couple hours here. They do have a little zoo but not worth it.
How naive I was when I booked this luxury cruise through Cambodia and Vietnam. I did not expect the beauty, the food, the flowers, the fashion, the HEAT and the history. I did not expect to wake up each morning hungry for my knowledge and eager for each new lesson. I did not expect that communism would look like capitalism. I did not expect that a reunified country would be so much better off than when we were when we interfered. You can’t talk about travel to Vietnam and not talk about the war. They call it the American war. It affected so many people on both sides including me.
My father was a Lt. Colonel in the Army and was sent to Vietnam in 1965. I was 10 years old. Our only means of communications were letters, as certain phone calls and the internet did not exist back then. He wrote my mother every single day and she kept those letters. I found the letters about 10 years ago and wanted to go to Vietnam to see what he saw. He passed away when I was 17 years old. I don’t have a lot of memories of him so I thought this would help me understand him more. Somehow I wanted to take a piece of him with me. All I have is letters, photograph’s and what I carry in my heart. I wanted to honor him and somehow bring it full circle. So, I printed off three pictures of him. I decided I would send them down the Mekong River and Saigon River where he had been stationed.
The first picture I let float down the Mekong river near Can Tho where he had been stationed. I was so emotional that right after I released his picture, I threw up on land and had to be taken back to the cruise ship.
I was not sure if it was from the heat or the food? It could have been the overwhelming emotions resurfacing in a place where my father had once walked. Maybe it was my dad trying to warn me to get out of there and back on the ship. I doubt he ever would have thought that his little girl would come back 60 years later. I bet he would have laughed at the idea.
The second picture I threw off the hotel where he had been staying that was bombed. He was not in the room at the time. We heard that it had been a Vietcong sympathizer who had a job at the hotel as a waiter. He let his comrades into the empty rooms to place bombs. Fortunately, they went off too early before all the officers came back. This hotel has been in existence for over 65 years and was rebuilt. The Caravelle hotel was where all the journalist used to gather on the 9th floor rooftop bar and exchange notes. So, I had a drink at that bar and threw his picture off the top.
The third picture I let float down the Saigon River where he was also stationed. My husband said he wanted to float a flower down the river too. He said I never met you dad, but he is still my father-in-law, and I want to honor him too.
Both Vietnam and Cambodia surprised me with their beauty. It was very interesting to hear about the American War from the Vietnamese side. I always thought my dad helped liberate Vietnam! History tells a different story. The Americans only hurt both these countries when they left.
We were wrong!
It haunted the journalist and the photographers too!
After the Americans left Cambodia the Cambodian people turned on their own people. In a matter of three years, they killed over 1/3 of their population! Anyone that had helped the Americans were killed and then they just started killing everyone. A really good movie about this time period in Cambodia is called “First they killed my father.” the producer was Angelina Jolie. This was an awful time in their history.
This photo won a Pulitzer Prize for best photo. It’s called a burst of joy. I could really relate to this photo! I remember running to hug my dad who had been gone for over a year in my life. This picture was of a man who had been held in the Hanoi Hilton prison for five years and was returning to his family . They did not know what had happened to him. What is sad about this picture is that the wife had asked for a divorce the same day. I wanted to start with all the bad and then tell you all the good about these countries.
Ha Long Bay was a bit if a snoozer to me. We went the first full day after we landed in Hanoi. Long bus ride and nice boat ride to see a bunch of big rocks. Apparently, there are nice trails that we did not get to see. Some people say this is their favorite place. It was a lovely boat ride with food and drinks! I just did not care for it.
Cambodia’s temples are unbelievable. Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are stunning. I was not prepared for the heat and humidity. You must cover your shoulders and your knees. I had two fans and wet neck wraps and a hat. I still passed out and then threw up from the heat. This photo was about 10 minutes before I threw up. Within a few minutes a security guard comes up to me asking me if I’m ok? She gives me some tiger balm to sniff. She tells me that I will have to pay to clean up all the vomit. She has a cleaning lady with her. The lady has a bucket and mop and her little two-year-old boy dances in front of me. I am sure this is going to cost a fortune since this is a sacred temple. I ask her how much? She says whatever you can afford 1-2 dollars! She cleans the walls then cleans me up by throwing water all on my pants and even wipes my face. It was a long walk back to get to my tuk tuk. I rested the rest of the day on the ship.
Siem Reap Cambodia-UNESCO world heritage Site-It was abandoned for over 150 years.
Angkor Thom
One of the prettiest sights I have ever seen!
I really liked Angkor Thom the best. The way the trees grew threw it made it extra special for me. It is so hard to look good in 100 degree weather and 100% humidity.
Saigon from the highest building!
All the way to the top of the pink!
Flowers, food and fashion are very cheap in Vietnam.
Drive through meat market.
Big pancake made with rice flour
Prawn crepes
Watermelon at every meal!
Pizza for peace! Sometimes you just need a good old brick oven Pizza! We ate this in Hanoi and Cambodia.
Uniworld’s Mekong Jewel boat has just 34 rooms. We loved this ship and all the crew! Food and drinks were fabulous.
I loved all the dress stores and wished I would have had time to go into some of these stores.
Fashion
I loved all the fashion. Forget the cheap central market clothes and go into one of the dress shops. All dresses in this shop were under $30? Only trouble was I could only fit in one XL dress. The employees would try and zip up these dresses and could not. They would say sorry sister no zip. You can’t have a big chest.
The one dress that fit!
This dress costs $38,000,000 dong. That’s about $1500 in dollars.
High couture Cambodia fashion
In Saigon we rented an actual Russian made jeep that was used by the Vietcong 50 years ago. This jeep could have been used to shoot at my father 60 years ago. Now they take Americans on a 4-hour food tour . They loaded up a cooler of Saigon beer and drove us all over downtown Saigon. Talk about full circle!
Unbelievable flowers and very cheap.
This flower market in Saigon was a real treat!
Lotus flowers and buds.
Dragon Fruit.
Saigon
In the central markets as in most markets in Vietnam, you have hundreds of little booths like this booth. Mostly they’re all selling the same thing. The booths on the outside will try to charge you $25 for a T-shirt. The booths on the inside will sell it to you for four dollars. The thing I did not like is I was I offered $20 on a purse, and they said OK. They wrapped it up and gave it to me, but it was a smaller version of what I had been negotiating on. These women will grab you by your arms, both sides and drag you to their booths. I had to shake my arms free from two of them and said do not touch me. The other trick they do as they get you inside their booth and then they block the exit and you can’t get out. I had to tell several of them let me out. So if this is the kind of bargaining you want to do just beware.
So this hat has a unique feature where you can have a matching mask that Velcro’s across your face. You can also push it in the back and wear it as a regular cap. They wear it on their motorcycles to help with exhaust and sun. It cost me four dollars.
This hat cost me four dollars also.
There are very few stop lights or stop signs in Vietnam. It is a dance that they all know! They carry everything on motorcycles.
The traffic was unbelievable! Everyone has motorcycles. Over 8 million in Saigon.
My first purchase in Vietnam was a painting for 1.5 million Dongs. That is about $60 US Dollars. Their highest bill in currency is 500,000/ That is like $20! Good thing I had my cheat sheet.
The only Vietnamese people I personally know is at my nail salon. I have known them for over 30 years. When I told her about my experience visiting her country, she told me how the war affected her family. After the Americans left her father was put in jail for 8 years for helping the Americans. She remembers walking all day to bring him food in prison. She was a young girl just like me without her father because of this war. This war hurt both Americans and Vietnamese people. So, the one question I cannot get an answer to is – WAR -WHAT WERE WE FIGHTING FOR?
We are both Carnivores! Yes, polar bears do make it over to Iceland on floating ice. The problem is when they get there they are starving. They will eat people, so they are usually killed when they come into towns in Iceland. Unfortunately, there are not many animals in Iceland. Yes, they do have lots of sheep and small ponies but that is about it. They also have puffins but they leave in August, so we did not see any. I would not live here without my animals. I am used to going in my back yard and seeing at least ten different types of birds, deer, coyotes, fox, racoons, hawks, owls, chipmunks, squirrels, several lizards, snakes, inch worms, lightening bugs, bumble bees, carpenter bees, fireflies, cicadids, katydids, bobcats and possums. My backyard is alive with living things. I would be too lonely without my wild animals.
Three colors of sheep. More sheep than people in Iceland.
Small horses in Iceland are long lived and hardy with few diseases. They have a thick winter coat. In Iceland they have laws about not bringing in any foreign-born horses. These Iceland horses are used for sheep herding.
When we landed, we saw this small volcano erupting near the airport. For 30 miles around the airport, it looks like the moon. Just a bunch of rocks with moss on them. No trees. This big eruption happened 800 years ago, and nothing grows since.
Northern lights while flying to Iceland! It has always been on my bucket list! Visible with the naked eye from the plane. You can go on northern lights tour at night. We thought about it on our second to last night but were too tired. We met a group of 9 people who did go and saw nothing. I was so glad we saw this on the plane.
This is the main street in Reykjavik. This is where all the shops and bars and music are located.
We loved our helicopter ride over Reykjavik. A great way to see the city from above.
This is Reykjavik from above. Kind of looks like Lego land. Here you can see that people have planted trees in their back yards.
4×4 wheel riding. Lots of fun and more rocks.
Downtown Reykjavik.
The famous church in Reykjavik.
Apparently, some guy collected Penis’s from all kinds of animals in put them in jars of formaldehyde. His wife told him enough is enough, so he opened a museum.
They even serve penis shaped waffles!
So true!
No rats in my purse!
We liked this music hall in a bookshop in Reykjavik.
Catching my first cod fish. Almost golden in color. No bait and it is possible to catch 3 at a time like in Ireland. Every year Icelanders catch between 200-400 thousand tons of cod. I manifested this fish by asking my fisher woman- Mom to put one on my hook and she did!
Typical small towns around Iceland.
More small towns on the coast. Long ago there were no roads, and you sailed from one small seaside town to another.
This is what most of Iceland looks like. A bunch of rocks with moss on them.
Lots of waterfalls!
Massive waterfalls.
These waters were almost teal in color. I have never seen water so blue.
We loved the botanical gardens in Akureyri. We saw all these amazing flowers.
I loved this thistle.
A blue flower!
Sunsets are magical
Everyone has a boat.
They paint a lot of houses black because of the easily obtained tar. Some of the roofs even have grass growing on them.
The rocks are beyond rocks!
If you are a rock collector this is the place to go. With all the eruptions over the years these rocks are special.
Whoosh! Iceland is the only country in Europe to have a geyser. Water boils at 212 F and turns to steam. If the temperature gets hot enough, the steam can’t escape. An explosion occurs and forces the water into the air.
This geyser goes off every 5-10 minutes. Very impressive to see.
In Husivik you can see whales. They make you wear these huge outfits to see whales. I look like a garbage man with a mink hat on! I got the hat at a secondhand shop. What I learned about the mink hat is that it is too warm for 35 degrees. I only wore it a couple times. We saw one whale and 6 dolphins.
One little whale’s tail
This is an actual blue whale that washed up on the shore dead. I had to put Mark in the picture so you can see the size. This picture did not include its big mouth. You can see why someone could live inside this whale.
Part of whale’s big mouth
Baby whale.
Trolls are big in Iceland. It’s part of their culture just like Sweden. They have a belief that trolls are huge and they hibernate for about 18 years. During that time, the puffins and ravens help disguise them as big rocks. They put sticks and moss all over the trolls until they awake. Trolls are very proud of the way they look!
Someone even knitted troll trash can covers to make the trash cans look better.
We enjoyed Iceland but it was not as weird and wonderful as we expected. I find Portland or Asheville to have more of a weird feeling than Iceland. We also heard that it had a great music scene. We did not find that to be the case. One bar owner told us they have torn down all the music venues. They did this to make hotels and restaurants for all the tourists that have been coming to visit. We like to go to places that are different, and Iceland is different. It was nice to get out of Atlanta’s hot weather and dress warm.
This trip was booked one year ago when I found out I had breast cancer. I told Mark I don’t know what is going to happen so let’s plan cold weather vacations. No bathing suits. I told him in one year whatever happens should be over so Iceland will be my reward for surviving. I feel very fortunate that it was just a lumpectomy! So far, the cancer has not returned! I am enjoying my life no matter what sadness or illness that is thrown my way. Just keep planning those adventures big or small because they give us something to look ahead to besides everyday life!
July in Atlanta is in the 90’s and humid. We decided to do a 4 day getaway to Blue Ridge and Murphy to get a little cooler. First stop was Blue Ridge and we loved the outside of this little cabin. We had a great view right on the Fighting Town river. I could sit there for days as the rushing water just makes you feel so calm. They had a great little fire pit and a wonderful hot tub. It was very private and we absolutely loved it. We rented through Blue Sky cabin rentals.
Just a few steps away and the sound is intoxicating.
We absolutely loved this cabins outdoor areas. The indoors was a little dark and small but we would go back just to sit on that deck!
We all liked sitting out here and watching all the deer across the river every morning and evening.
A great place to swim and picnic in Blue Ridge.
We loved this store. You definitely have to buy the APPLE FRITTERS. We went back twice because they were so good. If you go on the app -Bring Fido -it says you can bring a dog -but that is not true. They cannot go into the store just the grounds.
We ate at Harvest on the Main and had one of the best salmon sandwiches ever. A little pricy but I do not mind paying for good food. They have a porch for people with dogs and Louie did just great.
We headed up to Blairsville to go to the farmers market on Saturday. Very nice but no dogs are allowed, but they have a dog sitting service in cages under tarps for tips. What a great idea as many of us had dogs and did not want to sit int he car. We ate at a cute restaurant called Luckys. They even had a menu for dogs. Then we drove to Murphy NC for the next couple of days.
1167 Warren drive Murphy North Carolina on VRBO
We loved the inside of this house and the ease of having dogs here. I have never rented such a clean cabin as this house. It was white glove clean, Unbelievable hosts. They left us 9 fresh eggs from their chickens. The eggs were so good we asked if we could buy some more from them, but they had already sold out. This place is perfect for dogs. You can lock them on the front deck or back deck . You can let them out the front door to a fenced in area out back. These people even left about 8 dog toys that my yorkie immediately found and spread all over the house like he had won the lottery. A short distance from town but very very private. We saw a family of deer with twins every morning and evening. The hosts even let us check in 3 hours early. So accommodating. I think they are brand new into renting because they were the best hosts we have ever rented from on vacation.
We did a two mile walk down the murphy riverwalk -which was nice, flat and easy. We went to Buck Bald brewing. They let you bring food inside so we went across the street and got a pizza and brought it back. We went to the Murphy chop house with Louie for dinner and sat outside. We also took Louie for his first Puppachino at Starbucks.
First Puppachino!Buck Bald Brewing has interesting beers and allows dogs too!
You have to go to RIB COUNTRY in Murphy. They are known for their ribs but, everything is good even the hamburgers! The best thing on their menu is the peach cobbler. The best in the world. The best in the world!
The Portuguese really know how to handle rough seas as we learned while visiting in March. It poured on us for 8 of the 10 days we were there. Not only torrential rains and 50 mile and hour winds and temperatures from 40-60F, but a huge tornado blew through and closed the Lisbon airport down. All traffic was rerouted to Faro Portugal.
So, travel sometimes is not all blue skies and butterflies. Sometimes it is difficult! Pack a sturdy raincoat and a positive attitude when coming to Portugal. We had a good time, but we are seasoned travelers. We hired a car and a guide and just trudged through all the rain and wind.
During the 15th century Portugal led the age of discovery and established itself as one of the longest maritime empires. I was surprised to see how many countries they conquered and so far, away. Brazil, Africa , India and parts of China.
What we loved about Portugal was the cost of food and drinks were very reasonable. A Superbock beer would cost 2 euros and a six pack of their famous dessert was about 8 euros. They also had some good white wines. We were not fond of the lack of choices in food. Lots of cod and sardines, veal but only processed chicken. We had some excellent meals but just a few.
Portugal is the western most country in Europe. They use the Euro and are on the same longitude as New York. In my opinion Portugal lacks an identity. Yes, they are fantastic seaman and discovered many countries but that was 500 years ago. They are also known for their port wines but that is like drinking sugar water mixed with cough syrup! Other favorites are sardines, cod fish and cork products. Sorry but none of that makes we want to run over there.
We used Uber and Bolt a lot in Porto as well as some green taxis near our hotel. The high speed train from Lisbon to Porto was only $47 euros one way and was quite pleasant. The train does not have many places for big luggage so get on early.
We loved all the tiles on the buildings. Some tiles go back 1000 years.
People were very friendly but not everyone speaks English. get out your google translator.
Yes, go to one Fado concert but one is all you need. Fado is some of the most depressing music you will ever hear.
Education is free in Portugal but a young man with a CPA degree will only make about 18,000 euros a year and a one-bedroom condo can cost 450,000. Most grown children still live with their parents as it is almost impossible for them to buy a home. We heard this story over and over.
We found a better exchange rate at the train stations then we did at ATMs. Most everywhere takes credit cards.
The land of discovers- here is a map of all the countries they discovered 500 years ago- pretty impressive!
The Portuguese were very good at sailing to new worlds. They definitely understand bad weather.
Our hotel in Lisbon
The view from our room
The beautiful lobby
Our fabulous driver and tour guide
Lisbon Skyline
The Thieves market on Tuesday and Saturday – A MUST
The thieves market on Tuesdays and Saturdays such fun!The Thieves market has some very interesting displays!
How to survive torrential rain and wind.
What got me through eight days of pouring rain!
A cute and sturdy raincoat. Not a poncho not a thin raincoat. A thick plastic one that must be waterproof not water resistant. The hood must have a tie . You cannot sit and hold the hoodie on in 50 mile an hour winds. You have to batten down the hatches. Why wear black on a miserable day. I loved this raincoat because it was cheery and my husband could always locate me in a sea of black puffers. A small puffer coat or my long jean jacket underneath this rain coat.
A pocket size umbrella by Totes worked great until it did not. I also had to buy a slightly larger umbrella that did not fit in my purse. The tote umbrella stayed strong and never went inside out like cheap umbrellas. At the end of the day the Tote umbrella did not keep my bottom dry. Still very useful as I could always carry it on me.
My Baggallini purse. It also got soaked repeatedly but dried out quickly and kept my items dry on the inside.
Skinny jeans. Right now big legged pants are in style along with bell bottoms but in a downpour they only get longer and wetter. Skinny jeans stayed drier for me on the bad days.
You cannot control the weather but you can control your reaction to it. We rented a driver for all 4 days that made it much easier and dryer for all our sight seeing. Just bring a positive attitude and a can do attitude and you will not miss many sights.
The tornado that shut down the Lisbon airport.
Great Viewpoint in Lisbon
Pena Palace our favorite destination
Pena Palace was our favorite place even in the rain!
In a sea of black coats you can always find me in this colorful raincoat.
Street artist that paints with coffee! I love his dedication to style!
Baby steps on these streets
All the streets are on hills and made of slippery tile cobblestone. All the streets are on hills! We had to walk like old people and do baby steps. Sometimes young tourists would run around us and bust their bums. No running on these streets.
The famous pastry
The most famous baker in Lisbon sells 500,000 pastries a day in summer time.
Street artist Arturo Bordalo turns trash into art
He has 7 murals around Lisbon. All made up of recycled trash like tires and metal scraps. Beautiful.
The time out market with good friends!
Maritime museum is a real treat!
My long jean jacket that kept me warm under my raincoat.
The famous trolley cars
Our Hotel in Porto-fabulous
We absolutely loved this hotel or should I say we loved the river view from our room. We could sit on our balcony and listen to the Spanish guitar players and singers below our window. At night time our sky exploded with hundreds of seafulls all circling over us. We stayed an extra day at his hotel because of the view and being right in the middle of all the action. Yes we coud have stayed for free in a Holiday Inn outside of town in an industrial area. But we would have missed so much. Sometimes you need to feel the city in an old hotel right in the middle of everything. Loved this hotel.
This is view from room 410
Room 410- I could sit out here all week!
Our sunset cruise for two- only $250
We rented a sunset cruise with this company. it was a mother and her 27 year old son. He was very open about th economic situation in Portugal. All college is free in Portugal. Our 27 year old boat captain got a CPA degree. He only makes 18,000 euros a year.. The cost of a one bedroom condo is $450,000. There is no way a young adult can buy a home. He still lives with his parents and hopes to inherit the family farm. It was just an hour and a hall ride with snacks and drinks.
Porto Cruz rooftop bar across river from our hotel
1881 Porto library
Very cool place to visit. You have to have a ticket and a timed entrance. We selected the upgraded ticket and got in before 50 other people. its crowded and crazy but well worth seeing this 140 year old library.
We had been to Costa Rica in 2019 only from on a cruise ship and felt it needed more discovering, so we went February 14- March 1, 2022. Covid was rampant there and everyone wore masks including outdoors. The week before we got there, they had 40,000 cases in one week in a country of 5 million people. We were nervous but decided we could be safe and wore our mask too. We brought our own test kits and 24 hours before our flight home we took them and were negative. It proved to be one of my favorite vacations. I grew up wanting to work at on an animal farm liked Doctori on tv. Every day we had animals visit us. Monkeys, sloughs, agouti, macaws, racoons (not my favorite) big Iguanas.
Four monkeys showed up and three left as soon as they saw Mark. This one let him know that he was not leaving!Big Iguana climbing up tree.
Such sweet creatures!
Aguti is like a cross between a big rat and a rabbit as he hops!We loved this resort- I would even go back by myself as it felt safe and so much fun
We spent a week at this resort and stayed in Mott Mott 307. It was a small unit for two people. Many of the homes are individually owned and all are a bit different. Our unit was the smallest in the area. We had all the living, dining and cooking outdoors under a roof. The inside was where the bedroom and bathroom and air-conditioning were located. I cannot tell you how wonderful this place was to visit. We loved just lying in the hammock and watching the view and the daily parade of animals that came to visit us. We took many nature and birding tours off site, but the best was on site. They have a sloth institute and for $30 a piece we walked all around and saw more birds and animals that in the big national parks. So even if you are not staying at the Tulemar you need to go on this tour.
Best tour on island
What we liked about Tulemar was our own personal concierge person. You need anything and they handle it, including filling up our refrigerator from the grocery store before we got there with items we selected. Making reservations at local restaurants and arranging all transportation to the beach and anywhere on the resort with just a phone call.
We went to a wonderful cooking class where we learned about the green squash that tasted like a cross between a pear and a squash. We also learned a cooking tip that no one had ever taught us before about onions. Apparently, the reason onions make you cry when you are cutting them is that they need a source of water to attach to and your eyes usually are the closest thing. So, the cook put a little bowl of water right next to the onions I was chopping and no more tears!! This was a huge help to me. We made a delicious meal and learned all about growing vanilla and cocoa.
We also learned that this host as many other Costa Ricans really had a hard time during pandemic. They told us stories of such struggle without the tourists. This cook decided since there were no tourists, and he was very good at making pastries that he and his wife would make pastries to sell to the locals. They did ok for a few months but one day no one came to buy pastries because no one had any money. They ate less and grew some strawberries but rapidly they went through all their savings.
You need to get up real early and go birding or hiking with a tour guide. We would also go to the pool about lunch time as that is when the parade of monkeys came through. They are so cute, but they well steal your food. First one monkey comes up and looks at you then goes behind you. Here comes 5-10 more monkeys to entertain you while the first one slipped behind my back and stole my pineapple off my drink. They are so smart.
the Pineapple thiefMama monkey- those babies hang on even whil Mama is jumping from tree to tree
Things I liked about the resort other than the constant animals, was the food( was delicious )the maids were great, and I felt very safe. I would even return by myself it felt so safe.
Another thing we liked was you could daily laundry for free or just a tip. Put it out in morning and back by the afternoon. We loved the hammock and the daily view of the sunset. We loved the beach, and the food down there was terrific too. Loved the pool and nightly singers. We just really loved the people too. Everyone is so friendly, and boy do they need some business to return.
My favorite spot to watch the view and the monkeys
The things I did not like about Costa Rica were the heat! 77-97 every day. You have to get up and go birding by about 6:30 and finish by 11. Just too hot.
Several nights we were raided by racoons. Since all the cooking was outdoors and the trash was outdoors, if we cooked and did not clean up everything they would come and open all drawers trying to get to trash. One morning we had been slimed by a whole family of raccoons. It was gross. We called our concierge and within an hour everything was back up. We had forgotten to lock the trash can.
I did not like that there are hilly streets in Tulemar. Everything is up a hill. You can request a van at anytime to take you anywhere, but it made it difficult to just take a walk.
Quepos has been experiencing a red tide for months. Red tide kills fish.
One night I had a mama racoon and 4 babies on our deck. I went out to shoo them away and the babies left but she growled at me. I think next time we will rent the unit above us that has the cooking inside.
In the mountains of Costa Rica and cold at night
We belong to the Georgia Audubon society. They had a trip to this resort to see the famous quetzal. When they came back and gave us a recap of where they had gone birding this was one of the small hotels they stayed at in the mountains. We decided to recreate part of their trip and it was well worth it. This is a small little hotel with maybe 10 different little houses for rent. Just walking the grounds is a horticultural delight. Flowers everywhere, birds everywhere, hummingbirds everywhere. Good food, just a basic room with a fireplace and no heat. We did use that fireplace to stay warm. We hired a local guide who took us to find the quetzal. Probably the most beautiful bird in the world. The birders in Costa Rica started working with the local farmers that had white avocado trees. White avocados are so small and not really good for human consumption so many of the farmers just cut them down. This is a delicacy to the quetzal. So, the birders made a deal with the farmers that every time they brought someone onto their property to see the quetzals that the birders would pay them a small sum of money to keep the white avocado trees and make it a little easier for the tourist to visit the tree. This worked out very well for both the birders and the farmers. Many of the farmers are older now and not farming so much so this becomes their pension and their interactions with people in old age.
The G.O.A.T of all birds and I got to see three of them!Local artist the I bought a painting from in this store on the side of the road.
Costa Rica is about flowers everywhere!
Now let’s talk about the fishing! It was marvelous. You have to go early in morning, but we caught over 10 fish, saw a Dolphin and a mama whale and baby. The coolest thing I have ever seen was a school of red herring with the sun shining through them. Looked like little red parasols you get in a drink. Tiny and spinning right before the big fish came and gobbled them up.
Great day fishing!!!!A tree that hugs you!Our favorite bird guide Berni!
Pandemic travel in 2020 is closer to home. Yet you still can get in your car and go 96 miles somewhere. Just plan a small day trip.
Ok this is not a destination for world travelers. It is during the pandemic and my husband planned a surprise overnight trip for me. When my dog sitters called and asked where he was taking me, I replied I still don’t know, GPS says 96 miles north and take a left.
Hiawassee Georgia
This is a small town in north Georgia near the North Carolina border. It is surrounded by Appalachian mountains and a lovely lake. It was so much fun just to get in the car and go somewhere new. We pack food, sanitizer and try and find places where few people are around us. Hiawassee is about 96 miles from our home. I had a ball doing pretty much nothing but hiking and eating a fine meal.
Hamilton Gardens is a treasure!!!!!!!!!!!
In September we only found one rhododendron in bloom but the gardens are still worth it!
Hamilton Gardens has the largest collection of rhododendrons in Georgia. Over 1100 plants and 1500 azaleas in this tiny garden on the lake Chatuge. We went in September and none of that was blooming but the gardens were marvelous. We went on a Sunday and never saw a single person. I can’t wait to get back up here when the colors change and when the rhododendrons will be in bloom!!
They have an art in the garden and you have to do a scavenger hunt to find the 7 pieces of artwork installed in the garden. I missed the elephant so I want to go back! They have 1.5 miles of mulched trails for your outdoor pleasure.
Pack a picnic lunch and come eat and look at the fabulous view of the Appalachian mountains. Bathroom is supper clean and has live flowers in it too!
We found another trail the you walk around the lake and we really liked it because this trail was flat and you constantly saw the lake. It is called the Chatuge trail and it is about a mile. See the dotted line right off the ramp to put in your boat. We loved this flat trail and check out the trees on the edge that have been hit by lightening and are still living.
View from hike around Chatuge trail. Mountains will surround you on this hike.
Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds-We went to an outdoor mile long garage sale in here, but check their website as they have lots of car shows, Christmas lights and music events that are on the calendar here.
Copper Door Restaurant
Copper Door Restaurant is 10 miles away in Hayesville, NC. One of the top 100 restaurants in the United States by Open Table. A four course meal all inclusive will run about $78 per person. It is nestled at the base of the Appalachian mountains. It was very good but, I still feel a little uncomfortable inside restaurants. The wait staff all wore masks and tables were separated . Food was delicious but we decided to take our dessert to go so we could spend less time inside. It was so good in our hotel room.
Paradise Hills Winery Resort and Spa -has a very nice outdoor patio with live and local music on Saturdays from 1-5 pm. They are down the road near Blairsville, Georgia. You don’t have to buy their wine to sit there. We sat outside and looked at the mountains and the vineyards and heard really pretty good music from this fellow. If you walk down the hill they have several goats in a pen that are fun to look at too.
Live-local music in an outdoor wine patio is fun and felt safe being outdoor and small.
It is funny how I love to travel but always dread it right before I go! I try and think of ways to get out of it. Yet I am always so happy when I return? I guess it is because we are stepping out of our comfort zone. We are going somewhere odd and far away. The language is different and the food is different and the long, long flights just to get to Bangkok. We spent 21 hours in the air and one 3 hour layover in South Korea airport. Then right before we leave the corona virus breaks out in China and one of my doctors here suggest I might rethink going to Thailand. We left on January 23, 2020 the day they labeled it a possible epidemic. We came home February 9, 2020. This was more than one month before anything happened in the United States. I let me Doctor know that I have never worried about returning home. Yet this trip, I was worried about returning home. We were in five different Asian airports and we all wore our masks in these airports.
Myanmar border control checking all people crossing the border for high temperatures for Coronovirus.
Corono virus was a real bummer on this trip. It had just started right before we left and went into full fledged fear as we traveled. The Chinese love to travel to Thailand and within one week of us getting to Thailand all Chinese travel stopped. Our tourists locations were absent of people. Our tour guides were shocked how quickly they quit traveling. Yet many stores in Thailand refused to open because of fear. The bars we went into sprayed your hands with disinfectant. At the borders they took peoples temperature by infrared and by thermometer. Fear, fear, fear and bad air quality in Thailand made more fear fear fear. There was a lack of masks available so we were glad we brought our own. The masks just made us feel a little safer. I will always travel with these mask in the future.
11 million people live in Bangkok and there are 10 million motorcycles! They ride in between all the lanes!No school buses so total chaos when picking up the kids.A family of 5 on a motorcycle and no helmets!They do not bury the electric or cables they just mass them together like this all over the streets. It does not look that safe?
Johny’s gems- a fabulous jewelry store since 1960
Many American soldiers shopped here during the 1960-1970.
My father was in the military and went to Vietnam in 1965. So did my friends father. Both of our fathers passed away when we were 17 years old so any memory we have of our dads is important to us. Yes my dad brought back some jewelry for me from Vietnam when I was a little girl. I am not sure where he bought it but my friends father bought her and her sister and mom many gems from this store. She assumed he used all his extra combat pay to buy them all these lovely jewels. She asked me to go there for her. I went and it was one of the highlights of our trip. It is little shop in an residential area. Probably has not been remodeled or painted in 40 years. Still the current owner is Johny’s son and he is 60 years old. He grew up right above the shop.
He immediately offers my husband a beer and then I go about shopping as he tells the history of the store. All across the top of the store are pictures of service men who shopped there 50 years ago. Of course I scanned all the photos looking for my dad and my friend’s dad but they probably were not very big spenders to get there picture up on the wall. There were three American presidents and all the astronauts have been there too. Even Princess Diana shopped there. Also three popes have had jewelry from here. Most recently Pope Francis order 50 cuff link sets for his security detail. He choose as I did the black star sapphire. This is only found in Thailand and is a dark brown to black stone with a gold star that moves inside it. It is is a bit masculine but the ring I got looks very nice. I also purchased a couple of necklaces and Mark even got a lovely wood statue. It really was fun watching As Mark bargained to get the price down. At one point Johny told Mark that” you offered me more money the last quote and you are going the wrong way my friend.” Mark said well what if I bought you a beer. Johny says” I just bought you a beer so you will have to come up on price. ”
Chaing Mai with new friendsWhite temple Chaing Rai
This is the coolest artistic temple I have ever seen.
MOBILE WIFI
Mobile WIFI you carry on you! Well worth the money!
We did this twice now. Once in Japan and once in Bangkok. In Bangkok airport you go down to the third floor in the basement and go to this little store. We reserved ahead time and picked it up when we landed and returned it when we came hone back through the Bangkok airport. In Japan we picked it up at the Tokyo airport and returned it by mail from the Osaka airport. Both trips we had constant WiFi. It is a very small device that fits in your purse or even a big pocket. You can attach 5 phones to it but be careful of how much data everyone uses. Why we liked it was because when we were out for the day we could always have internet and be able to text each other or receive texts and what’s app. You could also check emails and Facebook and other social media platforms. Once when I was separated from Mark as he always carried the mobile WiFi, I just went up to the store I was in and asked them to get me on WiFi. Then I texted mark where I was located and that I would wait for him. I think we paid about $90 us dollars for 18 days. Well worth the money for people who are addicted to their phones and the internet. They say it is safer than using public WiFi too.
The floating market
The best coconut ice cream on a hot steamy day!This is as close as I would stand to these snakes. You could pay $3 and they would wrap one of them around your body for a photo. You could even kiss it.
The famous train market
Every 30 minutes a slow moving train comes across these tracks. All people and goods have to be moved back off the track. It is called the most dangerous market in the world.
Iconsiam shopping mall
This is the malls bathroom. It was stunning!
Iconsiam is a great mall. No need to go above the first floor because most of it is American brands or high end brands like Gucci. Stay on the first floor for just a beautiful setting and lots of great Thai food and even burgers, pizza and everything that you can imagine. Just walk the first floor and grab some food. Go to the bathroom as they are the loveliest bathrooms I have ever been in. Also the store Nehyru is a great Thai made little cosmetic and travel bags.
Go outside at night for the light show it is magnificence. Then take a free little boat ride across the river and back for fun.
The food
I am not a big fan of Thai food but I did like pad Thai and loved mango smoothies. I got real tired of rice with every meal, including breakfast and many times I only ate rice because I just could not eat all the fried fish with a million bones. Now if you are a gluten free kind of person you will love Thailand as I never saw any bread whatsoever. No bread at all. No cakes no cookies, no pies. No gluten.
GRAB
They don’t have Uber in Thailand but they have Grab. Works identically to Uber. No cash accept for tolls. The driver will collect all the receipts and you have to pay them to him.Make sure and download it before you go. We used them probably 25 times in 18 days. Total cost was $83. We never waited more than 4 minutes for a ride. Never.
The Goddess of the Earth- she protects Buddha by squeezing water out of her hair and making floods that take away all the armies that want to hurt him.
My husband is a fire protection engineer for a global insurance company. I write this article for him as he has taught me to be more fire prepared. Always have a plan for each hotel.
While traveling do not stay above the 6th floor. A firemen’s ladder can only go to 6 floors.
Always walk your way out of the building through the stairs as soon as you get to your room. If their is a fire you will need to crawl your way out. There is more oxygen close to the floor. Wet a T-shirt or wash cloth to breathe through while going through smoke or fire.
Always shut all doors. There was a fire on the first floor of an apartment building. The women ran out of her unit but did not close the door. That fire roared up the stairwells to the top floor. If she had just shut the door it would have bought more time for the fire dept.
If any part of you catches on fire always remember STOP-DROP-AND ROLL! If you run so will the fire. Stop drop and roll and cover your face if you can.
Learn the emergency phone number for the country you are going to be visiting. Here are the top 25.
how to successfully escape a fire
If the door is warm to the touch!!!!!!!!!!!!!if the door is warm do not open it.
2. stuff the cracks around the door with wet linens from your towels to your clothes.
3. If you have a phone in your room call 911 or the local emergency code for the country you are visiting and let them know where you are in the hotel and that you cannot get out.
4. Signal at he window with a flash light or wave a sheet.
If the door is not warm -Slowly open to check for smoke
