travelingu, Author at Traveling U

We spent the morning out for a walk and look what we found….

We spent the morning out for a walk and we found the cutest little girl out feeding the birds with her Dad.

A perfect morning…. just out feeding the birds.

Through the recommendation of someone we met at the Wildlife Park we joined a Free Walking Tour of Sydney….. did we just say FREE? Yes, we did! This is our most favorite way to vacation. This is a 3 hour walking tour, so not for ‘Tired Feet’.

Our walking group by ‘Free Tour’ (imfree.com.au)

There is a story behind why she is rubbing the nose…. that might be a story for later!

(possibly fertility… but maybe you needed to rub another area for that one:)

And who does this look like…. Queen “WHO”?

This is their ‘Bird Cage Walkway’ representing
the many different birds found in Australia.

We learned a lot about
Sydney’s culture and history
along with the experience
of meeting others in our
group from many faraway
places.

Here is the talking dog head of one of their adoring Queens.
It actually talks… a little disconcerting but entertaining!

Aborigine playing his ‘Didgeridoo’

After the walking tour, we did even more walking around the city where we ran across an Aborigine who WOW’d us with his musical abilities on his Didgeridoo. Just making a digeridoo is a talent all it’s own!

We couldn’t leave Sydney without a night shot of this amazing icon.

Amongst some the tasty tidbits we learned about Sydney, we understand that the man responsible for designing the Sydney Opera House was not invited to the premiere (we are sure there is much more to that story).

Did we mention all the walking that day? Why not a bit more walking that evening just to get the evening shots of Sydney. Though it was worth the extra blisters, heat, and long day we were ready to do a little less the next day…thankfully we were flying to Melbourne, so sit back and relax.

Check out the kangaroo hanging out with us!

Following some advice from friend who lived in Australia we headed to ‘Featherdale Wildlife Park’. We got there in the heat of the afternoon so many animals were sleeping (next time we would come in the morning)……but that did not stop a kangaroo from taking an afternoon stroll up to Dale. Dale took the opportunity to talk to his new friend, try to feed him and enlisted him for a photo shoot. The cute Kangaroo seemed just as interested in Dale as Dale was in him (I captured some proof…Check out the video below).

With the right kind of food they will do anything for you!
Apple and carrots are one of their favorite treats.

We were able to take photos with a few fuzzy friends but most slept through our brief meeting. I was a little worried the Koalas would wake up, see us, and have a melt down…. no such thing happened but if you look closely I was leaning away from them (just in case) as we took photos.

Dale hanging with the Kanga…

We enjoyed dinner by the ocean on Bronte Beach, a little beach walk and…..a little people watching (this can almost be as interesting as your favorite TV show)! Dinner and a Free show.

And dinner is served……

Our Free entertainment

Travel saving tips:

1- When visiting any attraction, check on-line or coupon book discounts (Groupon, Living Social, discount booklets at hotels, etc…). We received 20% off our tickets for Featherdale from a discount book we found at our hotel.

Bondi Beach

2- Save money by buying or making your dinner to take on a picnic instead of eating at a restaurant.

3- Instead of buying lots of trinkets wherever you travel, take lots of photos. These are better treasures that can’t get lost, nor do you need to dust it or find a place for it to go.

New Year’s the Aussie way.

Aussies take New Years to a whole new level… it is serious business here. You must book reservations months in advance at very expensive prices for dinner and watching –

to complete parties otherwise everything else shuts down. We opted to hike to a great spot and watch but after hours of walking we were told that they had sold tickets for a “watching” spot at the top of the park.

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Aussies celebrating for 2015

Because Dale’s exciting date (Moi) was having a migrane coming on, I knew I needed to find dinner and some tylenol quick before it turned into a storm of a headache. Because everything was closed down but a local fruit stand I asked there for tylenol to buy but they didn’t sell it so she kindly gave me some of hers. During the couple minutes I was in there getting that, the only other small cafe closed…. headaches and needing food make you bold….I saw someone and tapped on the glass, he nodded at me and opened up. They were very kind as they prepared a little something for us. The kindness of strangers makes life a little sweeter!

We found ourselves a great little spot on the corner and watched 2015 being ushered in grand style from in Sydney. They were simply incredible!

Travel saving insights:

1- Don’t pay big prices for all activities….. fireworks can be seen from many places (and tickets for sydneys started at $35 for a faraway crowded seat at a park – dinner at a downtown restuarant with a view could be anywhere from $300 and up).

2- Don’t be afraid to ask – even if they look closed.

3- Don’t be afraid to ask – even if they don’t sell it.

4- Always look for an alternative idea to activities you would like to attend.

Australia ….our new adventure!

Bondi Beach at Sunset

Have you ever dreamed of living in another country? Have you ever dreamed of enjoying exotic food in faraway lands? Have you ever dreamed…. of traveling somewhere? Have you ever dreamed?

We were presented with the idea of living in Australia for three months and why would we say ‘NO’?!

Dale and I have the opportunity to go ‘check out’ Australia (housing, etc….) before heading there on a 3 month work project. Dale brilliantly had a plan to hopefully get us a little more rest on our LONG flight there.

He reserved the window and isle seats…. hoping that the middle seat would remain empty. With so many variables, who knew what would happen and then it happened – the last person boarded the plan and did not take the seat! This allowed us to take turns sleeping across the seats which was the most sleep I ever had on an overseas flight and almost eliminated my jet lag afterwards (of course we had to stay awake all day after arriving at 8 am but that combination worked wonders).

Do you think Bondi Beach looks a little crowded?

We were so excited to experience fun in the sun, considering we left cold wintery/snowy weather back home. We couldn’t drop our luggage of quick enough to our quaint little apartment across the street from Centennial park in Sydney. We were met by a myriad of birds amongst them was a crowd of Corellas performing for us in the trees. We also encountered a fresh water eel that was trying to catch the bread being thrown to the birds.

Later that night we
did some ‘beach’ time on intoxicatingly beautiful Bondi Beach…. a long walk with a dose of people watching – often times it might be a tad bit more interesting then a movie, FREE entertainment! We sat and enjoyed some music on the beach along with some great food at the beachside restaurant/hotel, ‘Bondi Hotel'(topped off with Bondi’s famous Gelato).

Travel saving highlights:

1- Book your seats, if possible, so the middle one is empty and then you can enjoy all three.

2- Rent a home or apt. to save on hotel cost.

3- Enjoy all the local entertainment instead of paying for something to do.

4- Watch for daily specials at restaurants, at the ‘Bondi Hotel’ we ordered the $10 plate specials that after 8:30 went from $18 and up.

5- With Gelato you might have to still pay full price…. we feel like that is worth it!:)

What to do when you blow a tire on your rental car?

For years we have rented cars and, knock on wood, we have never had a problem. All that came to a screeching halt while on our last trip to Seattle. We decided to take a drive to Leavenworth, about two and a half hour drive northeast of Seattle. It is a beautiful Bavarian town nestled in the mountains where Christmas is celebrated 365 days a year. So you can imagine what it is like during the actual Christmas holiday.

(Does this not look like bavaria?) Leavenworth, Washington

We meandered through the town, the shops and interestingly enough we ate a Mexican style restaurant called “South”. It was magical with the ground covered in snow and a mysterious yet beautiful fog which hung just on the mountains giving them an extra blanket from the snow. After a day of minor shopping and waiting until the lights turned on we needed to return from our Bavarian getaway to get back to the city.

Sharing some yummy gelato!

The route out of town heads up over Stevens Pass on Highway 2. It is a beautiful drive during the day, but at night you need to be a little more careful. They had been experiencing a lot of rain which loosened some rock along the cliff near the road. Ahead of us was a state trooper in the opposite direction with his lights on just barely off the side of the road. This caused the cars coming in the opposite direction to move over slightly into our lane to avoid him which sent us very close the edge of our road. Before we knew it we noticed three rather large rocks on the road and there was no way to avoid them. We heard and felt a large thud and as I looked down at the dash to see the light which indicates low tire pressure.

Now our hope was that we just lost air from the force and that we only needed to find a station to fill it back up with air. Luckily there was a good spot to change the tire to the spare which was done with the last minute help of another Trooper who explained that the first Trooper was protecting a very large rock which landed on the opposite side of the road. The small rocks were only remnants of what could have been a disaster if we had only been a few minutes earlier.

Now what to do. We were a little over an hour from the closest tire shop and it was getting close to closing time. We called them from our cell and sure enough they would be closed by the time we got there. They also didn’t seem too interested in staying open a bit late for us. Surprisingly, because it was a ‘Les Schawb’ and their commercials always talk about staying open to help someone in need.

All the way back I was worried that I not only ruined the tire, but that there could be some wheel damage. In my head I was calculating the cost and at one point had it estimated at nearly $1000.00. We ended up in Monroe about 15 minutes after closing, drove past and sure enough there were still workers in the store even though the lights were all out. We stopped and I popped my head in and asked if they wanted to film one of their commercials where they help the stranded traveler. They laughed and had us pull into a bay. In the meantime I had called our insurance agent and asked if this would be covered. He said yes, but reminded me that I had a deductible and it would most likely be under that.

After checking the tire it was obvious that the rocks did more damage than we thought. The sidewall had a nice hole and the rim had a very small bend. A new tire was $390.00 and the rim was a dealer custom and if it didn’t hold air would have to be ordered the next day. So we asked the question we always ask… Is that… or in this case, “What is the best you can do?” He said he might have something in the “Barn” that was a one off and we said, “go check the barn”. He came back with a tire the same size, same tread design and wear… it actually was a more expensive tire but since it was slightly used he would sell it to us for $85.00. SOLD! $15.00 to install, the rim was fine (with a little work) and $100.00 later we were on our way.

So the question always comes up, do we get insurance when we rent or not. Had we paid the rental company for insurance it would have cost us well over $100.00 for the full term of the rental. Our personal insurance does cover us for anything major that could happen. In this case we still came out ahead and knock on wood, we have yet found a time where that isn’t the case. Now if overseas we always purchase the insurance from the rental agency because, minor or major we want to be fully covered. What will you decide on car insurance?

You will be shocked at the final costs for our European trip – 6/2011

The Perfect Family Vacation

As many of you know, our family just competed our summer vacation using most of the ideas and techniques we talk about. We really want you to know we live what we talk about so that you can be assured it is possible.

Our trip took us first to Prague for four days/three nights. We stayed in a wonderful apartment, which fit all six of us perfectly and had a kitchen that we used to cut down on the food cost. ($89.00/night) Keep in mind the hostel down the street was $18/night which is fine if you are traveling by yourself but as you can see the apartment was much less for six of us. Keep this in mind when you are looking at Bed & Breakfasts, Hostels and other accommodations, what is the charge per person.

We then rented a car and drove to Vienna, Austria to stay again for three nights. We found a new place for car rentals in Europe that had incredible prices – $120 for the rental and we spent nearly that for gas (a little over $8/gal), $105. The company we went through was Argus Car Rentals and the price included the insurance which is important. We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott, which was just a block away from the Shonbrunn Palace and the best part, it was FREE. We used our Marriott reward points as we talk about in chapter three of our book.

From Vienna we drove back to Prague and stayed again for FREE at the Courtyard by Marriott at the Prague airport then a next day flight to Milan Italy. We thought about driving from Vienna down through Italy but the drop off fee for the car was over $1000 and our flights to Italy were only $34. We also rented a car in Italy from Argus for $407 for the two weeks.

We stayed two nights in Venice, $90/night at the Hotel Piave. This was a quad room in Mestre just outside of Venice. We then stayed at our favorite place in Italy, Capezzana, at the farm house for three nights at $53 /night finally 2 nights in Florence at an apartment $55/night.

We then stayed the remainder of our time in Sorrento along the Amalfi Coast at no cost with some amazing friends. Our last night was also FREE at the Marriott in Milan before we flew home.

So, a breakdown of the cost. We spent more than the last time we were here mainly because of the exchange rate and gas prices. We also stayed in more “pay” places because we moved around so much.

Breakdown for 6 people

Item Our cost Regular price

Airfare (all flights) $656 $10,600

Accommodation $716 $2,040

Rental Car & Gas $1,032 $2,360

Food $1,260 $2,340

Misc/Souvenirs $865 $865

Total $4,529 $18,205

We saved $13,676 on this trip using the ideas in ‘Have Kids – Will Travel’.

*Originally posted 7/2011

Assisi…. Just two more days left!

Assisi Cathedral seen on our walk from our Hotel ‘Assisi Gardens’ (converted convent)

Day 18

We finally had to say goodbye not only to Sorrento! Having the opportunity to stay with friends not only saved us hundreds of dollars, but renewed wonderful friendships, which will last a lifetime. We were very fortunate to have this opportunity and it was sad to say goodbye!!

As we wound our way through the narrow roads, tunnels and cliff sides we thought how wonderful it would be to live here – despite the traffic. It is amazing how easily we have gotten use to the near misses and facade of scooters being dropped out of the sky at you as you try to maneuver these seemingly impossible roadways.

We hadn’t made plans ahead of time for this day or night, only that we wanted to make our way about halfway back to Milan where we were to fly out Monday morning. We thought about heading up along the coast, but opted instead to stay in the delightful town of Assisi. We had traveled through Assisi on our last visit to Italy, but only could afford a few hours, as we were our way to Rome. This time we skipped Rome all together and opted for the quiet beauty of the hill towns of Umbria.

In Amalfi the buildings have bright colors and vivid white, the hill towns of Umbria are less colorful but no less impressive. A quick look online found the perfect spot for our stay. Nestled in the shadow of Assisi, a mere 15 minute walk to the center of town we found what once was an convent now converted into the beautiful hotel, ‘Assisi Gardens’. Not only perfect in location and ambiance, it was extremely reasonable at only $78 for a triple room and less than $50 if you only need a double and includes breakfast.

Assisi is a city set on a hill with an ancient castle looming over from the very top. It is also the home of St. Francis of Assisi and is where he is buried. The town is magnificent to view as you drive up the road from the freeway and delightful to walk through. Tomorrow the owners of the ‘Assisi Gardens’ will take us on a personal tour and show us the chapel still in use and will hopefully tell us the story of our unique accommodations. As for the evening, it will be spent exploring this beautiful town, enjoying a nighttime summer festival while meandering the booths and streets as we soaked in the music…….. and gelato, one more time before we leave this incredible country.

*Originally posted 7/2011

We call this breathtaking….. Capri – Amalfi Coast!

This beautiful town on the Amalfi coast can only be seen like this from sea

Just before our little cruise…. feeling good!

Day 16 found us relaxing poolside at the Villa where we are staying and doing a little shopping in the cooler evening air of Sorrento. This little city comes to life after sunset and there are a myriad of shops tucked away in the back streets just waiting to be explored. Gelato was of course the main event of the evening. There is nothing better than enjoying the cool and delicious flavors of this creamy delight as you walk slowly and without direction through the crowds of any Italian town. But this night with our dear friends, it was even more enjoyable.

Day 17 proved to be one of the most breathtaking of all our days in Italy. We have said over and over again how hard it is to decide which of the many activities to do. This coupled with our time quickly coming to an end in Sorrento caused us to look for ways to combine as many of the activities together as possible. We still wanted to go to Capri, Positano and Amalfi and capture the spender and awe of this beautiful coastline. We also knew we didn’t have enough time to do them all by car and Capri was only accessible by boat.

On the cruise….. Not feeling so good.

We searched online and found the perfect solution. For 39 Euros you can catch a sightseeing boat at the docks or port of Sorrento. It is called the Blue Mini Cruise and combined all of our dreams into one perfect package. One thing we failed to gather from our online research was exactly when the boat departed. From what we could surmise is that it was around or just after 8am and it returned around 5:30pm. We inquired about the cruise and the gentleman gave us literature on a similar cruise going to the exact same places but was only 24 Euros per person. After checking out the boat, making sure we weren’t going to be on a world war two tugboat, we purchased the tickets and with a few extra dollars and time to spare before departure we explored the local venders selling their goods to the tourists. We picked up some water and other needed supplies and then headed for our boat.

Taking a dip in the cool clean waters by Capri…. we jumped off the side of the boat

The pristine clear blue waters by Capri

Our first stop was to the isle of Capri. We swear that no mater the depth, you can always see to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea and it is the most beautiful blue. However is was a bit choppy and both Marissa and I felt every wave and despite our preplanning for sea sickness we both felt the effects before we arrived at Capri.

Capri is really two giant rocks jetting straight way out of the sea and is spectacular upon approach. The plan here wasn’t to dock and explore but to merely enjoy the cool waters near the white cave or Grotto. Of course Capri is most famous for its Blue Grotto and we had thought long and hard about visiting this marvel but opted to skip it this time after hearing from others that it is beautiful, but you are so rushed in and out it is hardly worth the cost. So from the coast the boatload jumped in the water for a much welcomed cool dip amongst the cliffs and caves of this island paradise.

After our swim we had our choice to debark in Positano for two and a half hours and explore or continue on to the port of Amalfi. We had our sights set on Amalfi, but Marissa and I, Dale’s two sea weary companions needed dry land so we gathered our items to get ready to explore but failed to do so quick enough. Note for next time… Be ready to hop off as soon as the ship docks. The time allowed seems more like seconds than minutes. Either way, we weren’t ready and Dale got his wish as we sailed on to Amalfi.

Beautiful Amalfi Coast

We would have to say that approaching both Positano and Amalfi from the water as was done in years gone by when this was the only way to visit these ancient maritime Republics is, in our opinion, the only way to really capture their grandeur. We did our best to try and capture the magnificence in pictures but it truly has to be seen in person to get the full effect.

Both ports are breathtaking and the buildings, something out of an enchanted fairy book story. As we walked the streets of Amalfi we imagined the painstaking task of building these towns on shear rock, which explodes out of the sea straight up to the sky.

More of the Amalfi Coast……..ummmm!

After a little more than an hour, admiring the shops and finding a few bargains and again seeing if the gelato is any better here, we headed back to the ship for our ride back to Sorrento. The sun was a bit lower and was perfectly set on the side of the mountains which popped the colors of the building like never before. A quick stop to pick up those who stayed in Positano provided yet another chance to capture the city at a different angel and better lighting.

Arriving home the day was long but well worth the money and time spent. By the way, lunch on the boat was not only extremely affordable but very good as well, with several choices of sandwiches, salads or pasta all around 4 Euro each. A quick swim in the pool at the Villa to cool down was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Would you like to be king? It doesn’t look so bad. Caserta Palace – Day 15

The intricate beautiful Caserta Palace, Italy

We find it fascinating how connected the royal and ruling families of Europe were. At Schonbrunn we were reminded that Marie Antoinette’s mother was Empress Maria Theresia of Austria and today at the Caserta Palace we see how each ruler tried to outdo each other in their palaces.

We came with friends who trekked the expansive gardens with us

The Caserta Palace was created by the Bourbon king Charles III in the mid-18th century. His goal was to rival the Palace at Versailles and the Royal Palace in Madrid. As for the inside of the palace we believe he succeeded. This is a magnificent very stately palace and is very tastefully built with 1200 rooms (think of the parties you could host!).

Marissa and McKenna racing up the steps

We think the most impressive part of the palace is the entryway of 116 steps all carved from one giant block of stone. The gardens however, though immense are not as beautiful as Versailles but are still magnificent with a huge waterfall about 2 miles from the main palace feeding into a fountain of Diana and Acteaon. It then flows into the dolphin fountain, down through the “fish pond”, which is where mock sea battles were performed for the royal court. The Bosco Vecchio is where it all ends up and was built as the “little castle” and a playhouse for the Bourbon princes.

We made it! We walked the entire way…. it took us well over an hour. Here are Rick enjoying a moment with McKenna, Abby, and Marissa.

We drove to Caserta although you could take a 45-minute train ride from Naples central station. It is mostly visited by Italian tourists and isn’t on most Americans list, but it is a must see if you are in the Naples area. Make sure you visit however during the week, as the weekend gets very busy. They offer special pricing for students who are from the European Union countries only but when asked -they gave us the discount as well. Make sure you have your walking shoes on if you are going to walk the gardens, but for those of you who are unable to travel the distance by foot they have shuttle busses that only cost 1 Euro per person. We recommend walking up and riding back as you will gain a greater appreciation of how expansive these gardens are.

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Underneath the Princes had a secret play area

*Originally posted 6/2011

Sorrento…. a little piece of heaven! More on day 13 and finally on to 14.

Sorrento is beautiful beyond words but very interesting and tricky to drive to. We headed south from Florence and kept to the freeway so that we could make good time due to the distance we needed to travel. It about killed Dale not to stop at the incredible hill towns and different places we saw on our way. The fields of sunflowers and cities that looked like they were an extension of the rock base they sat on, tempted us at every turn. The ride was both beautiful and uneventful until we turned off the E45 into the town of Castellammare Di Stabia. From here the ride really got interesting. It appeared that they were having a garbage strike as garbage was piled up everywhere and on top of that they had no sidewalks so everyone was walking in the same streets as the cars and the ten million motorcycles and scooters who drive where ever they want. Once we made it through that city we wound our way around the side of the mountains along the coast. It winds through tunnels, towns and along cliffs that make you appear you are hanging off the edge of the world. The small towns were the toughest to work your way through as the roads were very narrow and the traffic was heavy, but we managed our way through. I have learned to just close my eyes and try not to scream…. too much!

SORRENTO…molto bello!

Sorrento is gorgeous and is on the other side of the mountain from Amalfi. From here you have good access to Capri, the Blue Grotto, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Amalfi and so much more. Trying to decide which of the many option you have will probably be your hardest decision but don’t forget to just sit back, relax and take it all in. Pick up some lemons and make some lemonade while you forget about any cares of the world. While checking out the lemons you will find some Gigantic ones….. We have never seen anything like it.

Enjoying the evening with friends

Evening in Sorrento

Our Pompeii outing with Michael Evans

Our first outing was to Pompeii. The easiest way to get there is by train. 2.10 Euro drops you off only steps away from the entrance and beats fighting the traffic we described earlier. Pompeii is much larger than we expected so be prepared to do some walking. You can get a good walking tour map online or even get an app for your iPhone or iPod, we learned to love iPod apps while on this trip. You can also get private tours from guides at each place, they run about 10 Euro per person.

New beauty infused into Pompeii

Pompeii

Keep in mind it is very open and gets very hot. If you have little kids they will get worn out quickly under the sun. We were very lucky and went on a day that was overcast and had a few welcomed sprinkles, these are rare this time of year so bring the sunscreen or an umbrella to provide your own shade. Despite the heat, it is well worth it and if you begin early you can get both Pompeii and Herculaneum in on the same day (just keep in mind it could be a long hot day). WIth that said, we would really recommend going to Herculaneum before Pompeii…. everything was better preserved because of how they were buried (HINT… go look it up-very interesting).

*Originally posted 6/2011

Author: travelingu