Destinations

Those of us in the wonderful state of California mostly have it pretty good.  Our weather is enviable (I would prefer more cold), we have virtually every activity — beaches, mountains, desert, culture, sports — at our fingertips.  But it’s well known we have had our share of disasters — most recently epic fires in both the northern and southern parts of the state.

That brings me to a thought:  What if you had to travel VERY QUICKLY as though your life depended on it?  Would you be ready to go at a moment’s notice?  A longtime friend/business colleague told me that she and her husband thought they were ready to go with the essentials packed:  medication, water, computers and back-up devices, snacks, pets and their necessities, clothing, etc., so they were feeling pretty confident.  When the evacuation order came, two issues occurred:

1. Neither of their cars had more than 1/4 tank of gas; and 2) they didn’t know where they should go.

Fortunately everything worked out in the end for them even though it meant spending a night in their cars (along with three cats) at a safe destination.

So what’s the takeaway?  Have a go-list ready so you don’t have to think about it if this happens to you.  If you keep cash in the house (and everyone should, particularly smaller bills), grab that along with jewelry and portable valuables.  Have a list of prescriptions you need plus a one-week supply ready to go.  Make sure all your photos are backed up! Prints can be reproduced but don’t forget those priceless photo albums.  Extra cords you’ll need. Don’t let your cars get too low.  Finally, move faster than you think is necessary.  My friend was stunned at how quickly the winds shifted and their situation became urgent.

Finally, below is an excellent list provided by FEMA.  Find your own version and use it.  I would even suggest modifying a list of must-haves when you’re traveling.  Your carry-on becomes your go-bag with things you absolutely need.  Most importantly, be safe out there!

Thank you to the Greek weather Gods for allowing us to arrive in Santorini to glorious sunshine.  Beautiful blue skies against the white abodes literally built into steep hillsides provide gorgeous contrasts.

Our last resort for this trip was in the town of Oia (pronounced “e-a”), about 40 minutes from the ferry in Fira.  Naturally the resort — Mystique — is steep as well, just like pretty much everything else on the island.  The view of the caldera is quite stunning.  “Caldera” refers to the vast opening from the long-ago volcano eruption which formed Santorini itself along with several much smaller islands.  One could sit facing the water and do nothing else.  Of course, navigating up and down the steps required to get anywhere provides added incentive to stay put.  And there’s no “ADA” provisions; it’s simply climb or else.

We did walk into the town to browse around and have lunch at Mezzo Cafe.  It was like the U.N. there with very close tables that lent to conversation.  French folks (from Lyon) to the left and a group of Aussies to the right provided a wonderful opportunity to chat and hear respective impressions of the landscape and life in general.  Our French neighbors immediately asked if I was ok sitting next to their dog.  My response:  “As long as he doesn’t smoke,” which is hardly guaranteed in these parts of the world — especially sitting at an outdoor cafe.  We lucked out on all counts and had a thoroughly terrific time.

Much like our arrival in Santorini (described in the previous post), we experienced a similar “your driver was delayed” challenge upon leaving for a particularly ideal spot to view the sunset.  In this part of Greece, sunsets are like a religious experience.  But they must be well-timed.  We were booked at Ovac, a beautiful spot we were told was best for viewing.  We had a pre-arranged pick-up at 6:15 for a 6:30 arrival at the restaurant, giving us a solid 30 minutes until the sun fully set.  And then it’s 6:20, 6:25.  Tick tock.  Two hotel courtesy cars were waiting, but both had other commitments.

Mind you, I am not walking back down to get to the main office, because I’ll have to walk back up!  Three phone calls later (from a borrowed cell), one of the cars finally took us (ours was still “delayed”), driving at breakneck speed around the curves and we arrived with enough time to get our photos, but not nearly as relaxing as we had hoped.  We did have a delicious dinner and were glad for the experience.

I’m now convinced not much runs on time in Greece.  In fairness to our two other stays, both had excellent staff and great service (King George Athens and Bill & Coo Mykonos).  But Santorini had some issues to say the least.  Is it Greece in general?  Hmmm.  The country is not exactly stellar in many aspects.  Maybe with this exquisite location, the expectations are lower.  Good question to ponder.

The final day of our stay in Greece was spent at the resort — reading, spa and a wine tasting in their cellar — really a cave of sorts.  Greek grapes are interesting; they are grown without any water other than rain, humidity and/or mist from the sea.  The volcanic earth retains the moisture.  We tasted four local varietals:  sparkling, white, red and a dessert wine, accompanied by various cheeses, fruit, nuts, etc.  It was a lovely experience followed by a small dinner.

Fortunately we were back in the room before the anticipated rains came for we would have not been able to negotiate either the steps or steep slope to our room.  It positively gushed water — and it supposedly only rains 20 days per year on the island.  Timing is everything.

For the journey home, American/British Air booked us via our miles from Athens to an overnight at Heathrow then nonstop to LAX.  I’ve complained before about really disliking BA’s biz class (Club World) configuration of front/back seating and having to climb over the aisle seat from the window seat.  However, we were on a brand new plane and it was really “quite lovely” as the Brits would say.  Next year that seat configuration goes away, and everyone will be facing front.  Hopefully staggered.  Better yet, single seating next to the window.  That is the best!

It takes a grand total of 20 minutes in the air to fly from Athens (visit in previous post) to Mykonos.  Other modes of arrival are by cruise ship or ferry from a neighboring island (most likely Santorini, our next stop) or via one’s yacht (sigh).  But flying was the least amount of total time required and the ticket is very reasonable via Agean Air.

Anyone else wonder why every building on the island is white?  Aesthetics?  A means of keeping buildings cool in hot weather (yes, that’s a main factor).  How about because it’s the law?  Yes, every building is required to be painted white.  Best part about that is touch-up’s are a cinch because your neighbors all have the same paint!

The island population is a mere 10,000, but approximately one million visitors experience Mykonos annually during “the season” — April through early November.  Obviously the bulk visit during the true summer months which is precisely why a late September visit was ideal (for us, anyway).  Mykonos town is a series of very narrow, pedestrian-only streets — more like pathways.  It’s hard to imagine navigating during the height of the season when it’s really hot and really crowded.

I checked the weather from home and saw mid-70’s.  When we arrived, however, the winds were really strong — gusts up to 35mph and the temp more like the high 60’s.  Planes and ferries were canceled for two days due to the rough waters and winds.  Sitting by the pool was out so that allowed for more time for pure relaxation which is the point of being on vacation.  Fabulous massage, reading, walking to the nearby town for shopping, great food, people watching, etc.  Then there was following the news at home — baseball and hearings.  We didn’t leave the planet after all.

Fortunately, our scheduled ferry to our next and last destination, Santorini, was available, more or less as planned.  The ferry itself was very nice with spacious seats on the top level.  When we departed Mykonos it was quite rainy.  But all that gave way to glorious sunshine upon arriving in Santorini.  Hooray.

 

Alas, the sunshine was about the only good part of the arrival.  Our luggage was stored in the ship’s lowest level, right next to where the cars park.  Everyone was crowded together, gathering their bags, and tightly packed in waiting to exit.  Curiously, they were boarding passengers at the same time we were exiting.  Total chaos even before we all were on land searching for our respective transportation — either large groups finding buses, or individuals like us looking for our drivers.  An absolute mass of travelers all trying to get out.  Total travel time door-to-door:  Seven hours!  Most of that was spent on the Santorini end.

The traffic snafus as a result of the over-crowded ferries were remarkable.  The line of vehicles to get their passengers was backed up probably a good two hours.  There’s only one very steep road (think California’s Highway 1) to the ferry dock area with continuous hairpin curves, usually with two enormous buses passing simultaneously — one down and one up.  We saw quite a few people obviously so concerned about missing their departing ferry that they gave up and WALKED down the road with their luggage.  They deserve a lot of credit for that!

But we made it to a beautiful resort.  My report on our Santorini stay in the next post.

Below — what I’ve read so far.  Two wonderful books.  Two wonderful love stories.  Lots of tissue required.

 

All it took for a first-ever visit to Greece was the hubby’s impending milestone birthday.  You have no idea how difficult it is to travel anywhere near the actual date of October 7th.  Between the Jewish holiday calendar, tax deadlines (Sept 15 and Oct 15) and, of course, the MLB postseason, scheduling is such a nightmare that I needn’t even try.  If I do inquire as to what he wants to do, the answer is always the same:  “Go to a baseball game.”

Then the calendar gods cooperated and there was a window … so I grabbed it and off we went.  Athens is the jumping-off city for most everyone as it was for us.  It is something seeing the Acropolis for the first time, perched high above the city and visible from many spots.  We heeded advice from friends and were in line for the 8 am opening and made a beeline for the top to get unobstructed photos, meaning the least number of people around.

One wonders what it is like at the height of summer, both in terms of crowds but also heat!  We were appreciative of the late September temps in the 80’s and manageable crowds.   We were likewise grateful that the driver who met us at the airport was such an engaging personality (and very knowledgeable) that we hired him to be our guide for the two days of sightseeing — first the city sights and then outside of Athens on the second day. “Luck of the draw” all the way.

Encountering Americans abroad in a city like Athens is pretty commonplace.  “Where are you from?” when you perhaps overhear something familiar or acknowledging someone when their cap or t-shirt provides a clue to shared sports affiliations is typically how conversations begin.  Meeting some folks on the first night at a randomly-picked restaurant was the epitome of a chance encounter.

I noticed two couples sit down to dinner.  Then I saw that the gentlemen were watching live baseball on a smartphone.   Naturally curious as to which game was being viewed, I took the opportunity as we passed by to ask.  That simple question led to a big surprise.

“Braves vs. Phillies” he said.  “Oh, we were at your new Atlanta stadium and it’s fabulous!”  Around this time the hubby joins me, naturally wearing his Dodger cap.  “Hey, I grew up in LA — in Inglewood” he tells me.  I say “Ladera Heights!”  Turns out we went to the same elementary school, although more than a decade apart.  And we had been on the same flight the day before from Philadelphia.  And on and on.

We’re all so busy at home that encounters like these seem much less frequent.  Maybe it’s not being pressed for time — you know, that “vacation mode” — is the key to chatting with others.  Regardless of the reason, the outcome is meeting interesting people from all over the world.

Above and below: At the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center — a magnificent compound of theater, library, opera house and more — founded by the other great shipping magnate of Greece (besides Aristotle Onassis).  Amazing place.  Inside the library below.

Next stop – Mykonos.

If you’re stuck in your comfort “cocoon” — pretty much those of us who reside either in major cities, coastal states or other parts of this enormous melting pot, I highly suggest you get out on some of the finest highways our country has to offer.   The recent road trip to attend a Celebration of Life in Columbia, MO (the story why we drove was covered in the last post), accomplished just that.

Our route is below:  LA-St. George UT (lunch) -Limon CO (overnight) – St. Louis (overnight) – Columbia MO (service) – Kansas City MO (Gates BBQ) – Mulvane KS (overnight) – OKC (OKC Memorial) – Amarillo (The Big Texan) – Flagstaff (overnight) – Barstow (best Mexican food at Lola’s Kitchen) -LA.

When I wasn’t driving, I was posting Instagram stories (to keep from getting bored).

Random thoughts on the trip in no particular order:

• The legal speed limit throughout much of Utah is 80 mph. That means I could go 90+ without much concern.  Most of Kansas, Arizona, Colorado, etc., is 75.  CA — what’s up??
• There was a swing of more than 50 degrees in the course of 24 hours — from a low of 40 in the Rockies to 95+ in other parts.
• There was an incredible display of lightening east of Denver in the pitch-black night, but almost no rain encountered.
• Billboards prominently featured in Kansas and Missouri would create anarchy in California.  Free speech is alive and well in these states. No doubt there are folks who don’t like what they see, but I didn’t see a single billboard with graffiti or any other display of discord.
• On the flip side of promoting the sanctity of life and religion, there are billboards advertising “adult superstores.”  Colorado has a very limited number of billboards of any type throughout the state.
• The scenery in Utah is incredibly beautiful, having nothing to do with foliage — rather rock formations.

• St. Louis has a fabulous baseball stadium!  Right in the heart of the city that you can walk up to.  And the diaspora of their fan base is enormous so folks come from all the surrounding states to get their baseball fix.  By the way, Missouri has the most contiguous states in the U.S. — eight of them. Blame the hubby if the math is incorrect.

• One can work in the hotel business and not know the difference between feather and foam pillows, or which one is even offered at the hotel where they might work.  I have “extra feather pillows” as part of my hotel profile.  That’s a biggie to me.
• Hotel rates are negotiable, especially late at night.  Do your homework, and don’t feel pressured to accept the rack rate.  Call ahead and let the desk clerk know you’re informed on the subject.
• “The Hill” area of St. Louis has no view.  But it has all the best Italian food offered.  Go to the original Ted Drewes (on Chippewa) for frozen custard.  But be prepared to wait in line, especially after a Cards game or probably any other time.  In December, you can get frozen custard and buy your Christmas tree at Ted Drewes.

• The road conditions immediately improve once one leaves California.  I mean like just past the state line.  It is a remarkable thing to experience.
• Kansas somehow has managed to have a toll road on Interstate 70 — which is a federal highway.  How does that work?  Speaking of Kansas, it is the flattest place I’ve ever seen.  But Missouri has some of the most beautiful trees and agricultural fields.  Amazing.
• Enormous bugs hit the windshield loudly and leave marks the size of half dollars.
• There’s a stretch along the I-70 in Utah that goes for about 90 miles with no services — gas, food, etc., except for a couple of rest stops.  Be sure to watch for it and gas up beforehand!  We missed the sign.  But the hubby never let our car get below half a tank, so all was well.
• As told to us by George Gates (with the hubby below), grandson of the founder of KC’s Gates BBQ, there are 126 different BBQ stops in KC.  All different.  This was my first trip to Gates (others previously visited: Arthur Bryant’s and Jack Stack).  I loved it.  George’s own grandson was with him.  Much of the Gates family is involved in the business (over 300 employees).  If you choose not to work at the family “shop,” that’s fine.  But don’t expect free food when you come to the stores.

 

Go big or go home (below):  At the Big Texan in Amarillo, your meal is free if you finish this 72-oz behemoth within 60 minutes.  You should also get free angioplasty if you eat that steak.

Finally, huge kudos to my hubby for meticulously providing music.  My car has satellite radio but there’s no auxiliary outlet for a music device.  So he brought over 50 CD’s for us to enjoy. Broadway, Bruno Mars, Sinatra and Big Band music plus Maroon 5 thrown in to the mix.  It was a blast — nearly 4,000 miles over 4-1/2 days.  So much fun.

 

What does that mean?  Virgin Airlines did everything in their power to destroy our return flight last September from Boston & Providence.  After much back and forth, a $500 credit was offered for future travel.  When I attempted to use the credit for a January trip to Houston, I found out that any travel associated with the credit had to go through Seattle — you guessed it.  Off to the PNW before the credit goes bye-bye.

 

Not that one needs a good reason to visit the area, but we had a few besides the aforementioned credit.  First up, a long overdue visit with LA friends who relocated to Bellingham a number of years ago.  Then there’s my niece and her family — in particular my 3-year-old great niece.  Did we need to pick a weekend where the Dodgers just happened to be playing the Mariners?  Not really, but why not?  It’s always fun to visit stadiums, and our friends are serious fan(atics)s as well.

Upon the recommendation of our Bellingham buddies, we reserved two nights at The Willows Inn on nearby Lummi Island, a quaint establishment with just eight accommodations.  From their website:  “Lummi Island is located in the archipelago that includes the San Juan Islands and the Gulf Islands in the Salish Sea, the waters off the coasts of the Pacific Northwest and southwest Canada.”  I didn’t fully appreciate what we were in for, except I knew we were going to splurge on their prix-fixe dinner.

Chef/proprietor Blaine Wetzel is a disciple of Rene Redzepi of the world-renown restaurant Noma in Copenhagen.  The style of cooking and use of ingredients is based on whatever local products are available, heavily skewed to all types of seafood and every vegetable known (and some new ones) including plants, herbs and edible flowers.  Many were grilled outside and finished inside.  Our “snacks” began on the patio with a series of small bites and progressed inside for many more courses.  We finished back on the patio for a series of desserts mainly using local fruits.  It was a world-class meal in every sense.

After dinner we went into the kitchen along with many other guests where we met the chef himself.  Our friends generously bought me his book so I wanted to get it signed.  Little did I know that head chef  Wetzel actually delivered (incognito) one of our courses!  Talk about everyone being hand’s on.  We loved hearing more background about the restaurant and having an aperitif before retiring to our room upstairs.

The only issue with the Inn’s location is the ferry that runs back and forth to the mainland — which ferry is the only access to the Inn.  The line can be oppressive, especially in the summer months.  After waiting about 30 minutes to get a morning ferry to the mainland, we called an audible, went back to the Inn and gathered our belongings and checked out.  The idea of spending up to 3 hours of this short trip waiting for the ferry just didn’t make sense so I booked modest accommodations for the night on the mainland and off we went for a spectacular day of sightseeing in Bellingham and the surrounding areas.

As a longtime suffering gardener — meaning my efforts and my yield are seriously out of balance — seeing blackberries growing literally like weeds everywhere is just a killer.  And then we went to pick blueberries.  Does anyone not love blueberries? (Mr. H, don’t answer that).  There are simply not enough adjectives to describe the abundance of berries in the area, both at Boxx Berry Farm and at a private home in Lynwood.  Literally grab a container and proceed.  The best method for picking proved to be imitating how one milks a cow (which I have never done but used my imagination).

We loved going to Safeco Field for two Dodger games.  The ratio of Dodger blue gear to either Mariners or other teams is at least 50/50 if not more.  Spending time with friends/fans was terrific fun.  Once more, the distinct differences between stadium food offerings in other parks compared to Dodger Stadium makes one wonder why our organization doesn’t do a better job!

We had a blast spending time with family and enjoying a splendid meal at Purple Cafe in the heart of downtown.  Delicious food, conversation and time well spent all adds up to a most enjoyable journey up north.