Last month I reported that I had been scammed. As unpleasant an experience as it was, the whole situation has gotten worse! I’m also kicking myself that I let myself be duped. I do have to admit that the con artist was very clever. (more…)
Before choosing to visit the Getty Center in Los Angeles, I asked a friend who had been there recently if it was worth traveling there. Sometimes things are just hype, after all.
Well, I’m happy to report that the Getty Center is absolutely worth visiting (as my friend said). Especially the buildings, which are works of art themselves.
Arriving from the 405, which can be backed up with typical LA traffic, the Getty Center is reached by a tram from the parking garage. Even the tram ride is an efficient, clean and scenic experience.
Los Angeles is known for being the center of the movie world, covered with a layer of smog, and dense with cars on crowded highways. It is all of those things, but much more.
Traveling up the coast of California from San Diego, there are a number of glamorous beach towns and resorts and a clear view of the Pacific Ocean that makes it understandable why people would live in LA. From almost anywhere in California, you can be at the beach within a couple of hours. There is something calming and restorative about being near an ocean.
We chose a recent weekend to visit LA, not our first visit and certainly not our last. The climate was balmy with daytime temperatures in the 80 degree (Fahrenheit) range with a breeze blowing to keep it cool. For people who live in Arizona and endure 115 degrees in summer, it is heaven!
We crammed our weekend full of fun adventures that we’ll share, including our observations and suggestions. Some new experiences we’ll share include a visit to Griffith Park, including an observatory and a merry-go-round, an afternoon at the Getty Center, and a shopping trip to the LA Farmer’s Market.
Tomorrow: Some details about our visit to the Queen…the Queen Mary.
Remember when all you had to do was call for an airline reservation and some friendly person would talk to you?
Cost: Free
Then, as technology advanced you were given the option to book online OR, call that friendly reservation agent.
Cost: Free (for either service)
Fast forward to the year 2009. The following keywords are now in full force: (more…)
Even though we just got there (Edinburgh), it’s time to get out of town!
What do Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson and Angus Macfadyen have in common? They have all portrayed Scottish heroes at your local Cineplex. Whether or not the movies were entirely accurate (Braveheart & Rob Roy) is beside the point. The characters were real. William Wallace, Rob Roy and Robert the Bruce were, in fact, local heroes, much to the chagrin of the British monarchy at the time. (more…)
At this time, we will be nearing the end of our trip. There are still enough things to see that we could probably spend another week in Scotland, but that’s not going to happen. So, we have to make some decisions about what to see and not … (more…)
Canyonlands, located in Utah and one of the US National Parks, cannot be judged by a photograph or other image. You really must be there to feel how open, deep and vast the earth stretches out in front of you. It seems to dwarf the Grand Canyon in immensity!
Standing on a ledge several years ago, wind blowing and rain threatening, I felt very small and insignificant looking out at the giant canyons, eroded by time and the Colorado and Green Rivers.
Canyonlands - nature at its most amazing
As promised from yesterday, we’re continuing our journey down to Edinburgh.
Distance: 126.0 miles
Time: 2 hr 48 min
We are going to make a few stops and hopefully we’ll have time for all of them.
The village of Blair Atholl is approximately a 90-minute drive north from Edinburgh or Glasgow just off of the A9, 35 miles north of Perth.
The seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl is touted as Scotland’s most visited historic house and is also the home of the Atholl Highlanders, Europe’s only remaining private army. (I think I’ll see if I can rent them out for a few jobs that I have pending around the house.) (more…)
We had a real scare around here last week. We got an e-mail from Qantas Airlines touting incredible fares to Australia from L.A.!!! And guess what? They were during the same time we planned to go to Scotland! There was even a free stopover thrown in.
Of course there was!
As Australia and New Zealand are our number 2/3 destinations after Scotland, we decided to take a look. I even got out the Australia/New Zealand travel brochures I had been storing, some for over five years! (more…)
Okay, we’re staying put for the day … sort of …
We’re looking at a train ride, a little clan homecoming, and lots of scenery.
As I mentioned in a previous installment, my reasoning for staying in Aviemore (yes, it’s really on a map) for several days was due to its centralized location in the highlands. It is also the middle of recreation country.
The Cairngorm mountains and Cairngorm National Park host a plethora of sporting activities: fishing, canoeing, mountain biking, rock-climbing, hiking, golf, horse riding … even skiing in the winter (if there is enough snow). (more…)
