Springtime in Amsterdam and London

I took a very lovely trip this past March to Amsterdam and London. I'm pretty familiar by now with Amsterdam but it's always beautiful to see the canals and beautiful architecture. Not to mention the very colorful tulips! For much of my time it Amsterdam it was very chilly and rainy as winter was gradually turning towards Spring. Amsterdam and in particular the canal zone are very easy to get around on by foot and by tram. If you do take the tram don't forget to sign in and out to avoid problems. The primary mode of transit of course in Amsterdam is by bicycle. There is a stunning number of bicycles by Centraal Station!

My time in London wasn't as fun as in Amsterdam. Lots had to do with my sciatica and leg pain but also a very bad AirBnB experience. Still I tried to make the best of it, taking in the London Eye and one of the hop on hop off bus tours. It's a very busy, congested city.

Helpful Links:
Amsterdam Transit
Schipol Airport

Trip to Florence, Italy

One of my favorite cities in Europe Is Florence. It has so much to offer between art, architecture, delicious food and natural beauty. I took a trip in March of 2018 to Florence. Also took a side trip to Rome but that's another story. During this trip I explored the Baboli Gardens and spent a lot of time walking around in the city. It's best explored by foot as traffic is limited by parking is next to impossible.

Springtime in Delft, Netherlands

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend 10 days in the beautiful town of Delft in the Netherlands in April. The architecture is quite lovely. Lots of little canal houses and small colorful places. Most visitors will be coming from other parts of the country and arriving at the new train station. It's roughly an hour by train from Amsterdam. Definitely worth a day trip! A good spot to each delicious Dutch pancakes and people watch on the main square.

Fall in Asheville

I took a wonderful trip last fall back to my former hometown of Asheville, North Carolina! Flew across the country on United Airlines and arrived at the regional airport just outside Asheville. The city has a really nice small airport with beautiful views of the nearby mountains. There is public transport available from the airport however most will want to rent a car for your visit. Fall is the most popular time to visit Asheville due to the many beautiful colors of the leaves changing.

Helpful links:
Public transit information
Blue Ridge Parkway

Dublin and Cliffs of Moher

It's been a long time since I've posted to the blog! I wanted to do a brief report on my trip to Dublin last fall.

I arrived at Dublin airport and took one of the airport buses downtown to try and meetup with my AirBnB host. Unfortunately meeting up with her was very difficult. She was getting married at the time and seemingly did not want to deal with guests at her flat despite leaving her reservation calendar open. In addition she was upset (for whatever reason) that I did not own a smartphone. Anyways after getting settled I tried to rest up a bit after my long trip and get situated. More problems incurred with the flat because I could not get the lock to close. Not a good AirBnB experience! The one positive with her flat was that it was in the middle of everything downtown near the river.

I did a lot of walking while I was in Dublin. Lots to see, from Trinity College to the old post office downtown. It was packed even in late September. Some good restaurants and pubs. I tried the very traditional Shepherd's Pie at a very old pie. It's very heavy, went down like lead. A couple of quite good Vietnamese restaurants in the downtown area.

One of my biggest reasons for visiting Ireland and Dublin in particular is that I've been a huge U2 fan for many years. On my visit I took a commuter train down near where Bono has a house. The Edge has a house close to Bono as well. It was very chilly and rainy! The Irish rain came down sideways as I walked on the beach below Bono's house.

One day while I was in Dublin I took a day trip across the country to the Cliffs of Moher. They are stunning! It's a must see if you visit Ireland. The weather can change rapidly on the west coast of the country so be sure and check the forecast before you leave.

A few helpful links:
discover Ireland (travel guide)
Ireland.com
transit information

Travel Tips and Hacks

Traveling can often feel stressful without even mentioning problems with dizziness or severe chronic pain. Long haul flights can be particularly painful in my legs cramped below an economy seat. I've tried a lot of things but just can't seem to sleep on overnight flights. If you're disabled and traveling a long ways I highly recommend asking for a wheelchair. The short break from being up and on your feet can sometimes help, even if it's just a bit. Some airports in Europe like Frankfurt, Germany are huge and the connections can be quite complex. Sometimes it can mean going up or down in an elevator 4 or 5 different times. If you're on a long haul flight and have severe leg pain like me try to get up every two hours to stretch your legs.

It helped me last September before I visited Nice to go on Google street view and take some "virtual" walks. You can get a bit of a sense of how much energy you'll need to get around walking. I of course didn't really take into account that I was coming from a place with fairly low humidity and was going to Nice where the humidity was quite a bit higher. In some places around the world people are quite kind if they see you struggling around with a cane. Nice of course isn't one of those places, beautiful as it is.

I've gotten into the points and miles hobby the last couple of years. Also into cash back cards and sites like EBates and TopCashBack. There are a few keys in this hobby one of which is paying off your balance in full every month. If you don't do that you end up working for the banks instead of vice versa. It helps if you apply first to the Chase cards because of the 5/24 rule. If you're not familiar with that rule it means that Chase will not approve you for any card if you have been approved for 5 or more cards within the last 24 months.

Some helpful links:
Google Flights
Skyscanner
theflightdeal.com
Google Matrix

Portland, Oregon (USA)

I've lived here for a number of years now. I thought I'd write a blog post for someone interested in planning a trip here, what to see and avoid as well as the oddities of living in Portland, Oregon.

A lot of people in this country and also around the world have this misconception that it rains all the time here. Very untrue. Here in Portland it rains quite a bit in early November through April, sometimes into June. The rest of the time it can be very dry. Usually the best time to plan a trip to Portland is sometime in late Spring through early fall. Despite what many say it can get hot here, particularly due to the effects of climate change through the years. One of the oddity's I've come across while living here is that many people don't think you are a true Oregonian if you use an umbrella.

Whether you arrive by train or at the airport you'll first need to make arrangements for getting around while you're here. If you just want to explore Portland and surrounding areas you probably won't need to rent a car. However if you want to spend some time traveling up in the mountains or out to the Pacific Ocean you'll need a car. So make sure you plan what you'd like to do most. If you just have a couple of days I recommend you stay in Portland and explore everything the city has to offer. There are a number of other transit options besides renting a car. The Portland public transit system (called TriMet) has both light rail and buses. You can buy a ticket to ride at any light rail station or bus stop. The city is also very bike friendly, arguably the most bike friendly city in the country. Also if you prefer you can make use of Uber or Lyft. Taxis are an option however they can be fairly pricey.

In terms of accommodations it's important to note that most of the very expensive hotels are located downtown on the west side of the Williamette River. However you can also find less expensive accommodations just on the other side of the river in the Lloyd Center/Rose Quarter area. If you're on a tight budget try looking further out in NE or SE Portland for a place to stay. You can also try sites like AirBnB or VRBO for apartment rentals. I suggest staying somewhere between NE/SE 102nd Ave. and downtown.

Portland has a lot to offer the traveler. From the city's quirky, alternative culture to being so close to both the mountains and the ocean. Portland has tons of good coffeeshops, lots of parks, gardens and nice places for city hiking. The annual Rose Festival in late May-early June draws visitors from near and far. Portland is also home to Powell's Books.

Portland Chinese Gardens

Waterfall @ Portland Japanese Gardens

Multnomah Falls