slidergirl

So we may all feel unable to pack… one of my girlfriends just left today for an 8 week trip to Europe. Germany (to visit friends), Spain, and Portugal. She’s solo on this. Part of her trip is walking/hiking the Portuguese trail of the Camino (around 600 Kms). Last year she did the Northern part, something like 700 km. The left with her rolling carry on size bag at 12 kg and her pack at 6 kg ( has to keep light because she’ll also be carrying lots of water.). The pack is what she’ll use on the Camino. She’s a beast!!!

That’s why I have my Bose. My right ear insides are small. And that’s the one that is always very stuffed. I always had issues with keeping something in that ear. To me the AirPods are the same design as the corded EarPods that came with iPhones. The AirPod Pros look to have a different ear profile.

I forgot. If you want to use your AirPods or another Bluetooth headphones with a plane’s entertainment system, get on Amazon before the end of the day and buy a Bluetooth adapter for plane use. That way you don’t have to use those nasty earphones the airline hand out. There are a few in the Prime Day sale. Have the 1Mii 5.3. I got it on sale a little while ago. It’s small and has a charger box so it’s a small footprint. Yes, more expensive, but I liked the specs.

I forgot until I opened my package today - I also got a new Echo Dot with clock. Mine is one of the originals and the sound was getting bad. I like to fall asleep to either music or BBC Overnight on my local radio station and it just wasn’t very good anymore. It came already attached to my Alexa account with all the network info so all I had to do was plug it in. Nice! I bought AirPods last year. I use them when using my Bose headphones aren’t practical. My right ear isn’t fond of in ear headphones.

I spent a few days in Aix after my canal barge cruise last summer. I lucked out on the location of the apartment I rented, smack in the middle of Cours Mirabeau. Depending what day you are there, you’ll find an open air marketplace on the Cours. One day it was hard goods (clothes, jewelry, crafts, etc), another day it was antiques. A short walk from there is a farmers market. The streets behind Cours are wonderful for walking and browsing. Hank - my place was next to Nico’s, which I loved for their good entree salads, tasty flavored ice teas and sidewalk people watching.

Then you should have said you thought it may be an issue for some. You made it a blanket statement.

Thx Cynthia. I’m not so fatigued today. I just never know when it’s going to sneak up on me and sap me. Has anyone bought anything during the Prime Day sale? I surprised myself and didn’t buy any travel or camping stuff. But I didn’t go empty handed. I got a mini carpet cleaner. I had been looking at one for awhile. We got one at work this winter and it worked well. The price was $123.59 so I bought it. I bought some electric toothbrush replacements. I saw some good deals on travel things, like battery packs and USB hubs and some luggage, but I don’t need. OOTD: shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt. Hot for the next 10 days here - mid 80s to low 90s. That’s hot for here. Always feels 10 degrees hotter.

I don’t know if it’s the same one, but eater.com has a new list from Katie on places to eat in Rome: https://www.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-rome-italy

I’m a sucker for all wildlife rescues and sanctuaries, so going to Fortress of the Bear and the Raptor Rescue Center was a no-brained for me. I booked with Sitka Wildlife Tours. 9 of us in the van. Besides the 2 centers, we went to Sitka National Historic Park and did a little walk in the woods. We got everywhere before the big buses did. I really enjoyed the trip. It was the only excursion I booked for my cruise.

RCI has rock climbing walls on some of their ships.

I’m late to the party here. I’m a hand wash person. I use Trader Joe’s All in One facial cleanser. Mild, fragrance free. The same as the Neutrogena produce, but cheaper. I do use a dab of Sephora waterproof eye makeup remover if I’ve put on eyeliner and such. It doesn’t mess with my eyes. I’ll put some in a contact lens container when I travel. I’ll use whatever soap is there to wash my face.

Having my degree in Sociology, I always like to observe group behavior and individual adaptation to the environment. 😉

I need to find a way to attach one to my reading glasses 🤓.

I use Apple AirTags. Haven’t had to use to find anything yet. Update today: SUCCESS. I got into town. Drove up Main St because I hadn’t been up the since April. New stores, new restaurants, the summer patios built on the street by restaurants. At least no chain restaurants have shown up. It was crowded. I made it to the grocery store and got my stuff. And I went to the Mexican tienda y taqueria and got some street tacos. They had a low carb Modelo beer so I had to buy it. Not bad. Hope this keeps up. I never know when I’m going to crash. Makes activity and vacation planning interesting.

In Florence, I stayed at the Market Urban Hotel. Nice boutique hotel. A quick 5 minute walk from the train station, a 5 minute walk to Mercato Centrale, a 9 minute walk to the Academia Gallery. The front desk staff was great. I emailed them with some reservations l wanted for meals and they got them, even coming back to ask about alternative times when needed. Look it up on the internet.

Some random replies… If I remember correctly, there is a Furla store in Roma Termini. Roscioli makes the bread products for many of Rome’s restaurants. many pizza restaurants don’t put more than 3 things on the pie. They want you to be able to taste the components.

Melody - we’ve had that hail for awhile, too. Fortunately, it’s been just pea-sized stones. Still makes a racket when it hits the metal flashing on the chimney. Melissa - sounds like some successful shopping was had. Are you all set for the cruise now? Allow me a moment to rant. Freakin long Covid. I had the total fatigue the past couple of days. I had to nap for a couple of hours every afternoon. I couldn’t get enough energy to do anything. This is the one residual thing that burns me. Hopefully I can get it together today because I need to get breakfast food and some dinner stuff. If I do that, I’ll consider that a success. OOTD: denim shorts, a Woolx T-shirt, my trail runners.

I like the Cotopaxi because of the colors. No one can mistake it for theirs😉. Plus the colors make me smile. Working in hotels, I’ve had a lot of experience with spinners. Personally I can’t stand them. I end up doing them like a two wheeler. I took one on a trip and it bounced and tipped all the time, usually bouncing on my sneakers. Big black marks where it happened.

If anyone is looking for lightweight, fun maxi skirts, check out Natural Life. They just put out some really fun ones. $50 and under. If I was going anywhere this summer other than camping, I’d pick up one.

I stayed next door at HHV, also. Back when I was working at the Waldorf Astoria here, the husband of the new HHV General Manager stayed here with their sweet dog, Buddy. Buddy was doing his quarantine with us. The GM gave me a very sweet discount when I went there a few weeks after they all left. First thing I saw - Buddy! I called his name and he came running. A great welcome! Make sure you go up to the Diamond Head Market and get their totally yummy cream cheese scones!!! Walk it off going back down to HaleKoa! If it is still there, head to Marukame Udon, just a little walk away on King St. Hand made noodles. You wait in line. It’s kind of like cafeteria-style. Get a tray, pick out your udon, go down the line while it’s being made, pick out your additions, grab some tempura, get your drink, pay, find a table. Always got out of there under $10. Cynthia - keep checking your reservation. If something opens up, Delta will give a little “upgrade” message on their website. Lois - is the Haagen Daz frozen yogurt or “regular” yogurt? If anyone is looking for lightweight maxi skirts for summer, go check out Natural Life. They just posted a bunch of new fun looks. If I was going somewhere (I’m just camping this summer), I’d probably pick up one. Hot again today. Going to sit out on the patio a little bit later this afternoon after it cools a little. Going to make a watermelon, blueberry and feta salad for dinner. Just sounds good.

I’m in Utah. where did I get the idea about Reno? Moab is a lovely area. Plenty to see and do just within a little drive .

There is the Mercato Centrale on the side of Termini that has some good food options.

If you can’t get a tour together, be sure to at least visit the Cite du Vin in Bordeaux. I found it very interesting and educational. Just walking through their wine store made my mouth water. The view from the top while drinking you choice of a free glass of wine is wonderful.

Really sorry to hear this. I know SFO was having mega issues with United with 2-3 days until next available flight. I wish you could have gone DEN to SLC and then ANC. Not many flights but I wonder if it was available. It’s why I always have my plethora of travel apps on my phone - I’ll start working on solutions myself and be politely assertive when I give my choices to the agent. good on you with the insurance! Hope you make excellent lemonade out of this ton of lemons United handed you!

REI may have the Patagonia and Cotopaxi. They are having a sale now, so happy hunting!