I'm joining up with Bev and the other thieves for Sunday Stealing!
1. Have you traveled abroad? Where have you been? If you
haven't been overseas, which country would you most like to visit? I’ve been to
Israel 4 times, including some time each trip in Palestine. We’ve been to
Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Italy. Before 2016, I had only been to the
islands - St. Thomas, St. John, St. Maarten/St. Martin, Puerto Rico, and the
Bahamas. We plan to visit Greece, Egypt, and Turkey in October. I want to go to
Iceland. We both want to go to Norway/Sweden/Denmark. We both want to go to
Scotland and I would like to pair that with England.
2. Where did you go on your last trip? Talk about where you
went and what you did. Our last trip in the US was to the beach last October.
Our last trip out of the country was to Israel in February 2023. We travel with
Educational Opportunities so our trips are well planned. This last trip to
Israel included things we had never done before and it was a very active trip. It
was amazing.
This was a very adventurous day. We wouldn't be able to do this now (this was in February 2023) due to the fighting |
This underground tunnel was so cool |
3. What is the best place for a vacation in your country?
Why is it good? The gulf coast is unbeatable – especially the beaches in
Alabama and on the Florida panhandle. Interstate 65 goes straight through
Alabama and evidently a large number of people from the rest of the country
agree about our beaches because our interstate is bumper to bumper every weekend.
family beach trip october 2023 |
our son and granddaughter |
fishing pier (the pier is why we stay at this place) |
4. What is the longest time you have been away from home?
Did you feel homesick? When we went to Italy/Austria/Germany/back to Austria we
were gone a full two weeks. We were ready to come home. I don’t seem to get
homesick if Mark is with me. When I am by myself, I feel homesick even if I’m
away a couple of nights. I still go and do fun things but I actually feel
homesick.
5. How long should a vacation be? How long does it take you to really relax? It usually takes me several days to truly relax. Though I do remember when I have been away on a simple overnight trip where there was no internet and no TV (a friend’s farm) and I actually felt renewed and refreshed after such a short trip. I think I need at least 5-7 days for a real vacation, though it could be shorter or longer.
6. What forms of transportation do you prefer to use when
you travel? If it is a long distance, I prefer to fly even though I really don’t
like flying. I get carsick so if we are going a long way, I need to drive and I
have been known to make myself carsick even when driving!! Our October trip is
on a boat - the Azamara and I’m excited!
7. How do you choose where to go? Are you inspired by other
people's travel stories? Or photos? Or advertising? We decided to go to Ireland
on a whim – we still had to wear masks in Ireland in October 2021. They were
mandatory and it was enforced. I literally reached out to our travel person and
asked if anyone had a trip planned for Ireland and if so, could they take two
more people. The answer was yes and we paid for the trip and met up with the
group in the Philadelphia airport. We made some really nice new friends that
week! I am inspired by other travel stories and photos.
8. What's more important to you when you travel - comfort
and relaxation, or stimulating new experiences? May I have some of both,
please? I love a good hotel and good food and bathrooms but I love to
experience something brand new, too!
9. Do you like to try local foods when you go somewhere?
Have you ever had something really delicious? The hummus in Israel is
wonderful. The dates are wonderful in Jordan. The pesto pasta we had in Italy
was delicious and I don’t even really like pesto! Mark LOVED the beer in
Germany.
In Italy, we learned to love Limoncello |
We ate at a cute sandwich shop on our very first afternoon in Rome |
This is the pesto pasta and it was so good |
We drank from the springs and fountains and faucets all over Italy. Our tour guide told us to fill us and we did. It was SOOO HOT outside. |
I love seeing what kinds of snacks are available in other countries. |
Pizza in Italy |
Pesto Pasta again |
Weiner Schnitzel in either Germany or Austria |
Appetizer soup -- I think it was squash or pumpkin with cream |
Mark was a happy man |
I went to the local grocery store several times while in Austria. We had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a fresh pretzel roll. It was quite yummy! The store reminded me of our Aldi. |
I think this was in Jericho -- a local green beverage which was tasty and all sorts of pickled veggies - they call them all salads |
Food somewhere in Israel |
Food at the David Citadel in Jerusalem |
Bread cart in the Old City of Jerusalem |
Dinner at the David Citadel |
I think this was in Germany or Austria |
10. Things can go wrong when you travel. Have you had any
bad travel experiences? My husband’s family has a Winnebago story that was told
at his mom’s funeral last week. Over the years I’ve heard that story so many
times I feel like I was there. We had someone get sick in Israel and they
received excellent care in the local hospital. During the 2023 Israel trip, some
of our group had Covid and they had to stay quarantined in their room for
several days. One lady was really sick. Mark and I tested positive the first
morning we were home.
11. Do you take a lot with you when you travel? Or do you
try to pack light? I try to pack light but it never works! I need options.
12. Which places in the world do you think are too dangerous
to visit? Why are they dangerous? I actually just googled this question. Afghanistan
is on the list of “do not go” as is Ukraine. The list of Extreme Risk countries
is larger than I thought it would be. There are parts of Mexico and South
America that I personally would be afraid to visit. There are cities in the
U.S. where I might not be as comfortable visiting either.
13. What is the best age to travel? Can children appreciate
the experience? I wish we had begun our international travels at a younger age
but we plan to travel as long as we can. I do think children can appreciate the
experience. I’m not sure we had enough money for all four of us to have
traveled internationally when our kids were growing up. I guess we could have
made it a priority and saved in other ways. We were intent on saving so that
our kids could go to college debt free. I think every family is different!
14. What are the advantages and disadvantages of traveling
alone? The advantage would be that you could do what you wanted, and you wouldn’t
have to take into account anyone else’s desires. The disadvantage would be
loneliness – no one with whom to share the experience. Another advantage is the
telling of stories for years to come. If there is more than one person, more
details are remembered and possibly more laughter.
15. What kind of accommodation do you like to stay in when
you travel? I mentioned this earlier. I like a nice hotel room. When our house
was being rebuilt and our daughter and her family were in the middle of a move
and staying with her in-laws, we went to visit them. We stayed at a hotel in
Wetumpka, AL and the carpet had that damp feel. I don’t like that! For 16 days
immediately following the fire, we stayed at the Embassy Suites near our house.
It is not a five star hotel by any means but it was clean and the people were
very kind. My favorite hotel so far is the David Citadel in Jerusalem. We did stay
in a place in Ireland that felt like we were in a murder mystery. The hallways
and rooms just had this cool vibe (not
scary).
16. Do you like to talk to the local people when you travel?
Why or why not? I like to talk to folks but have found that folks in some
places are friendlier than others.
17. Would you like to go to a big international event, such as the Olympics or an international film festival? What would be good or bad about attending such an event? I think it would be cool to go to the Olympics, but I imagine the crime goes up and the crowds are probably terrible. I’m assuming it was the Olympics in 1984 . . .they were held in Los Angeles. I worked for AT&T at the time and my boss went to several events. AT&T was evidently a sponsor?? (can’t really remember) Somewhere in one of my drawers, I have several Olympic pins that he brought back to me. I haven't been to the Olympics but we did see the former Olympic site in Innsbruck.
We saw the Olympic site in Innsbruck |
The Olympic site through the bus window |
I've been to remnants of the Olympics in Lake Placid, not that far from here. I don't do the beach as I am wont to burn.
ReplyDeleteI have "easy to tan" skin but I'm actually waiting on the results from a biopsy for a place on my ear. The dermatologist thinks it might be a basal cell carcinoma. If it is, he will have to take a small piece of my top ear . . .and cover it over with flaps of skin. I have no idea how any of that works!!
DeleteGood accommodations are important to a good trip, I think.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it feels like the accommodations can make or break a trip!! I would probably get over it if we were out and about during the day and having a great time, but I wouldn't be happy when it was time to shower and sleep.
DeleteSuch great answers!! You have traveled well!! I used to say I need a vacation from vacation. Relaxing non-hurried vacations are the best for me. Have a good week ahead!
ReplyDeleteYou have had so much fun! Love hummus, they do a sweet pepper hummus as well. Limoncello just amazing, sweet and a bit sour, normally have it after a meal but I reckon I can add some fizzy with it as a cocktail lol
ReplyDeleteHi, oh this was fun. I love learning about all the food. Thank you for sharing the photos of the food as well. :-)
ReplyDeleteI also like to look at the snacks in other countries. When I went to Ukraine in 2006 on a mission trip, long time ago, I brought back all my packaging from snacks for my boys to see.