Category Archives: $ (<$15)

You don’t have to spend a fortune to eat well – and meals in this category are some of my favorites. I’m not going to include alcohol in the price – lots of places at this range are BYOB – but I’m not talking fast food either. These are meals in restaurants – preferably with tablecloths.

Nov 13 – Singalila National Park – Day 12


Last day – we NEED a Red Panda!

And we wake to the good news – the spotters have one and we need to go NOW!

This time I’m determined to brave the Bamboo Forest.. but first I must brave the ride up the Mountain. This just doesn’t get easier.

To comfort me – Rio promises that tomorrow – our travel day – will feature a visit to a Tibetan Monastery in Nepal – and the best Resturant in Darjeeling.

Deal!

Final the jeeps stop at the closest trail into the Red Panda’s location – and we all jump (well – I slowly slide) out of the jeep and start the climb. The spotters have been holding the Panda in his tree – it’s a juvenile- not the same one spotted two days ago – but in the same location.

I’m the tail of the line – Andrea is moving at full speed, with Helmut close behind her but I’m just trying not to hurt myself.

I have on my good Utah ‘boot’s’ with their deep rubber cut soles, and a hiking stick for my right hand. I need to be sure that my right knee doesn’t take any twisting.

Mingmar is sticking to me like glue. We hike past the point that I ‘quit’ last time – and follow the narrow track (about 6” wide – not a typo – 6 inches wide) into the bamboo forest.

As before – the bamboo is so dense here that you can’t see more than a few feet ahead – but I’ll be honest – my view is my FEET! I put each foot down carefully, making sure I’m steady on that foot before shifting to the next.

The path is up and down small but steep terrain. Maybe 5 steps down, two steps across a muddy patch, then 5 steps up. 2 steps across the top of the ridge, then 5 steps down. Repeat.

I don’t think I’m scared – but my heart rate would disagree with that. I’m going slowly – but super carefully – and my heart rate is going up and up. It’s mostly the adrenaline and the Altitude combined to fuel my increasing heart rate, not really the exercise.

We are suddenly very close to the Panda sighting – and we stop to decide where everyone else is standing. The team with me starts whistling – and we hear whistles coming back at us.

There’s one problem – At least for me. I can’t tell where the returning whistles are coming from!

Apparently Mingmar is also having trouble deciding – since he tells me NOT TO MOVE – and goes in first one direction, and then the other.

I am most definitely not moving.

If I got lost – I don’t know how to whistle!

Suddenly the team with Andrea and Helmut appears. The Panda has changed trees – he came down the tree, ran within inches of Helmut (there are BIG animals – so think a large large large dog with a really long tail) and then disappeared.

The decision is to re-group and wait to see if the trackers can spot the new location.

So we wait. I’m actually glad – I need to get my heart rate back down.. It’s at about 148 BPM – and I know if I just stop and do my Yoga breathing – I’ll be fine. But I have to stop.

We stand quietly in the forest – listening and occasionally whispering as Helmut and Andrea fill me in on what happened. Apparently they spotted the Red Panda and started taking pictures when it ran down the tree and within inches of Helmut to disappear into the forest.

Eventually my heart rate goes back to normal (under 100 BPM), and the trackers return. Bad news – they can’t find him. Imagine it – he’s huge, he’s red, and you can’t see him!

Rio explains that the Panda will curl into a ball in the fork of a tree hidden by the moss and ferns – and they are invisible.

Back to plan B

While Andrea and Helmut are disappointed – I’m so thrilled I made the climb I can’t stand it! And Rio comments on how well I did – he actually says – you must have done a lot of climbing in the past. You are a BadAss!

Hee, Hee – I’m definitely not sharing my heart rate with him… I’ll just say thank you – and get myself out of the forest.

I think Mingmar wanted me to need more help!

We get back to the jeeps – and the decision is to drive to the top of the Mountain – because it’s there – and because we’re going to eat Lunch on the top of the Mountain.

If I thought the road was curvy and rough before – I under estimated the effect weather has on these roads. The road to this point was smooth as a baby’s bottom in comparison to what we are now bouncing along on!

We are going from 8,000 feet to 10,000 feet. And the road is basically large unfinished stones that have been laid down and filled in with mud. Even walking on the road would be a challenge – driving it in 4×4 Jeeps is beyond exciting.

Since it’s getting towards noon – the mist has rolled in – and there is nothing to see on the left or the right. Sheer cliffs drop into the mist on both sides as we climb. There are trekking tracks crossing the path (I’m not calling this a road – and neither would you).

Serious Trekkers routinely make this climb – and we pass several small groups on our way up, and up, and up. There are at least three small clusters of buildings – HomeStays, mini-stores, and small square buildings labeled ‘Toilet’ along the route as well.

I peaked into one of the Toilets – they are squat toilets of ceramic- but I suspect that underneath is a Pit. I’ll bet they just move the ‘toilet’s’ each season.

Occasionally there are religious points – recognizable by the 5 color flags draped in banners everywhere – Red for Fire, Blue for Water, White for Purity, Yellow for Sun, Green for Earth. Rio explains that when a Tibetan (Hindu) wants a special favour they will buy a series of these banners and hang them in a spiritual spot. Some are very old, most are newer. But the locations are specific – points of power I’m willing to bet.

We continue up eventually stopping at the Mount Everest view point – but the mist is too thick to see the Mountain. We do however see Yaks.

At the top of the top there is another Military Encampment – and again we must check-in. Then we wander around and eventually go inside to eat Lunch. Guess what’s on the menu…

Did you guess Rice and Chicken! Good for you!

I get a Fanta – my stomach is roiling from the adrenaline of the climb, the twisting of the road, and the altitude. Never has ANYTHING tasted so good.

We are blessed with an occasional clearing moment – but basically the sky is white. In the photographs it looks as if we are standing in front of a Photographers Backdrop – it’s so evenly colored and smooth. Check out today’s photo.. taken at 10,000 feet and looking towards Mount Everest – notable in it’s NOT THERE!

It took 1.5 hours to make the climb. It will take us 3 hours to get down.

I hug Helmut and Andrea – and tell them that words simply can’t describe how happy I am to have been able to do this.

I don’t care that I’m cold, I don’t care that I didn’t see a Red Panda, I don’t care (much) that I didn’t get to see Mount Everest – I have challenged myself and done what I wanted to do!

I am so so so happy.

I’m even willing to use the squat toilet before we start the ride back down!

Since this is our last trip into the Park – we need to stop at each of the Check-points to a) check out for today, and b) check-out completely. At one of the check-points – there’s no solider on duty. So Rio has to go to camp and actually call out. Eventually a solider appears – and apparently understands that we are foreigners checking out.

Back at the ‘low’ altitude of 8,000 feet – we drive thru town – and I spot a chicken butcher. He’s got a whole chicken on a chopping block – and he’s using a Machete to cut it up!

Well – that explains all the bones and random appearing pieces.

Tonight Andrea and Helmut go out and spot a Flying Squirrel. He’s huge – and he does FLY! Well – not fly exactly – kinda spread his legs and arms and coast downward – but it’s very cool.

I’m warming up on my heated mattress pad.. glad to be warm again.

For dinner – Abi makes Biryani for us – he’s the cook in his family – with Chicken of course. It’s delicious. And there’s lovely Sauces to go with it.

We chat, compare photos, and basically say good bye. Tomorrow Abi will leave early for the long drive to Bagdogra Airport, and we will head to Darjeeling. But before we part – we want to be sure to exchange contact information so that we can remain friends.

Eventually it’s not only past my bedtime – it’s past everyone else’s too – and we head downstairs to our beds.

Tomorrow will again be a long day!

Signing off – The Soup Lady

Nov 11 – Singalila National Park – Day 10


Today we are going to finally see the Red Pandas…

But first there’s breakfast to get thru. The ladies are trying their best to figure out what will make us happy – and today there are Pancakes! That’s a winner – and of course we all enjoy a scrambled egg – Helmut wants his Marsala Style, Andrea and I opt for plain. I’m a fan of the Pomegranate Fruit Juice – it’s quite yummy.

We get an earlier start today – because the spotters are already up and have let Rio know that they think they have a Red Panda spotted. The sooner we get up to Gairibus the better.

It’s truly incredible how quickly these guys can put peddle to the metal – our 1.5 hr drive yesterday is only 1 hr today! Sheesh.

The spotters have a seen a Red Panda in a tree – but a bit further in on the Napel side than Rio would like – but he feels that we really need a Red Panda – so after warning us to be quiet – we start in on a trail thru the Bamboo Forest.

Here’s an alert – no matter how large your group – if you are more than 5 feet apart – you are invisible to each other. The teams know this of course – so they use bird sounds to keep in physical touch without alarming the Red Pandas.

Everyone make the first part of the climb – but pretty soon both Helmut and I decide – we’ve done enough. So we stop – and our minders keep us company. The rest file into the woods – Abi carrying my camera so at least one of us gets the credit for the sighting.

They return after about 30 minutes – the red panda posed nicely for pictures – and Abi managed to get my camera to take photos!

Helmut and I could see the Red Panda from our view point, but it was too far for anything but top end binoculars.

The rest of the team returns – we go for lunch. It’s Chicken again. I’m really wondering why all the bones? After lunch our host tells us that there was another sighting – but they decided we needed to eat so they didn’t tell us. Bummer – this time I would have tried the climb myself. Oh well – there’s tomorrow.

After lunch there are no more sightings – so we head back down the Mountain to our HomeStay. Rio tells us to take a rest – dinner is at 7:30.

I turn on my heated mattress and warm up my toes. Next time I come to the Himalayan Mountains I’m definitely bringing warmer socks and a proper sweater! When the suns out – it’s nice and warm, but when the sun is hidden by the mist – aka Clouds – it’s cold and damp. We’re at 12,000 feet at the top of the Mountain, about 10,000 where the Red Panda’s live – and a much more reasonable 8,000 where we are sleeping.

There is no point not realizing that we are at Altitude. Drink Water – Lots of Water!

Dinner is another Indian Feast – this time featuring Beef. And while the cut is in recognizable, it’s almost a pot roast in tenderness. I quite enjoy it. And again they serve a uniquely Indian Dessert. I’d call it bread pudding actually – although clearly there’s no bread in it – and no pudding! Yummy anyway.

Then bed.

Another early day tomorrow. I’m hoping the dog fight happens at a more reasonable hour… I’m not silly enough to hope for NO Dog fight!

Signing off – The Soup Lady

Day 6 at the Art Retreat – Meow Wolf and an evening Art walk


After the rain and wind of yesterday, today dawns bright and sunny and warm. The amount of rain yesterday goes a long way towards explaining why there are so many eroded sections of land. When it rains in Santa Fe – it pours HARD. Great lighting and thunder effects too.

It’s Friday and to be honest – I only know because I looked at the calendar on my iphone. The time here has been distorted – periods of extreme focus while painting or visiting serious museums or Georgia O’Keeffe’s home – or times of relaxing and chatting. It seems that every day I learn something new about the BadAss ladies who are here on Retreat with me. I’m reminding of peeling onions – layers and layers…

Today is a ‘free’ day – Cat has chosen to spend the day at 1000 Waves – a local Spa (she’s getting a body massage, a foot massage, and enjoying the pools and hot tubs), and Dee, Carrie, Char and I have opted to visit Meow Woof. I can’t for the life of me remember what Xan and Tabetha have planned (painting I’m assuming), and of course Carol is flying home.

Meow Woof – this is an art installation that was created 8 years ago here in Santa Fe, and has now grown into a multi-city adventure. The original is housed in an abandoned bowling alley – offers free parking – and self-describes as an immersive Art/Fantasy/Mystery Adventure.

I’m so excited to go that I opt to arrive at opening time in order to explore by myself and see everything. I know that the Intrepid Traveler is nodding her head madly at this sentence. Yup – I need time to do a museum/art installation at my snail pace. I read everything.

Passing thru the ‘entrance’ portal where you are warned that bad behaviour will get you removed. To be sure you understand the importance of behaving properly – there’s a list of sins that are considered bad. You are also warned that cameras are in fact watching you!

But unlike most art installations – Touching is strongly encouraged – and in fact if you don’t touch – you won’t figure out what is going on. This is definitely a place where the occasional hand wash is a good idea.

Bottom line – touch but don’t run, don’t damage stuff, and don’t make it hard for others to enjoy.

Ok – past the entrance you walk into the front yard of a two story home – complete with a lovely front porch with rocker, a mail box, and curtains in the windows. It’s evening, it’s peaceful – maybe too peaceful – and the stars are out. To the left is a shed/workshop that begs to be investigated, but I decide to explore the house first.

Front entrance – check. Small office to the left, living room to the right, dining room straight ahead with the kitchen beyond. There’s also a lovely curving staircase leading up to the 2nd floor. The living room features a comfy sofa with an ipad showing videos released by one of the members of the family – a self styled life guru. There’s also a fireplace, a TV showing home videos of the family, and some marketing materials. There’s a diary, newspapers spread around, and other details that all create both an atmosphere and a very real physical presence.

Taking my time, I start reading all the available materials, watching the videos that show in time delay fashion the startling amazing success of the life style guru and then move sequentially thru his huge success, his rapid fall from grace, and his hope for the future that seems oddly focused on a young nephew. All of this sets up the mystery. Where has the family gone? Why is the house stuck in an old Bowling Alley? Why do other travelers pop in and out of odd places – angled doors hidden under the staircase, entrances thru the fireplace, normal looking closets that lead into other places? What is going on here?

And why is there a code for a safe I can’t see? Why are there videos of an old gentleman showing off his ‘Transducer’ and talking about a 500 year old Hamster?

I’m not going to ruin the story in this blog – that would be totally unfair – but trust me – if you aren’t dragging kids who just want to run thru touching things – this place has details upon details to explore! And the most detail – the slowest part – is inside the house.

Bathroom cabinets hide worm holes, Pictures on the walls swing open in odd ways, Clothes and jewelry fill baskets and drawers, floor creak and turn on videos. Even mirrors might suddenly come ‘alive’.

But the largest physical part is ‘beyond’ the house – in another dimension that has suddenly become linked with the house.

There are portals to those other dimension hidden everywhere – inside the fridge, inside the washing machine, beyond the workshop, past the clothes in the closet, behind a bookcase, inside a picture frame. Don’t take anything at face value…

My favorite spaces were the ones that encouraged me to dance – and there were three rooms that not everyone even found – let alone spent enough time in to understand what was going on.

The first was a laser harp set-up – floor to very high ceiling laser lights that when interrupted by moving your hands thru them (think plucking the strings) played music that made me dance around as the strings of light responded to my motions.

The second was a light show controlled by pressing on buttons scattered all around the room.

The third was a room with a desk. If you sat at the desk, a light/sound video began to play – explaining the story, why things were as they were and what had happened. I’m going to guess that I might have been one of the few folks that sat thru the entire explanation! At least I never saw anyone else sitting there in the 4-5 hours I was in the exhibit.

Other rooms feature a futuristic travel agent explaining the advantages of various vacation destinations… And you can even Visit those destinations! The workshop is also a place for exploration, as is the Cake and Candy rooms, the Black and White Room, and even just the walkways that connect the levels and the rooms.

Thank goodness there are places to sit and rest and watch. These tired legs needed those breaks from the action.

In the marketing they say – over 75 rooms – and I believe them. By about 2:00 I thought I’d visited everything, only to finally bump into Carrie, Char and Dee! And then together we found even more rooms.

I particularly liked sitting in the bus that has been thrust between dimensions – resulting in the front of the bus pointing towards the sky with the driver’s seat 25’ over your head- and the ‘passenger seat’ in the bus being on the ground floor sharply leaning backwards to complete the illusion – and the feeling of flying thru space.

Bottom line – I loved Meow Woof! What a smashing idea.

Around 5:00 we head out to rejoin the rest of our fellow ‘retreaters’. We first went to Canyon Road – very upscale art galleries to visit – some closed, some open – all very very expensive. Then we moved on to downtown Santa Fe where they were having a fiesta. It was fun walking around, but too noisy for most of us and very crowded. So we opted to try a New Mexico ‘Mexican’ Restaurant where we ate a lovely slow and pleasantly quiet dinner.

Back to the ranch – and you know who went gratefully to bed! I do love my room at the ranch – it’s my own personal space – and after all the intensity of the day – just the perfect place to relax. So ice cream and down time and bed.

Signing off

Leslie

Day 5 at an Art Retreat – Everyone needs time to just PAINT!


Today is our rest day – aka – focus on painting!

And it’s a break day that is well deserved. Physically I’m fine, but emotionally – Georgia O’Keeffe is overwhelming. So much to process in this old brain.

So we voted to spend the day hanging out here. Given the weather report – that turns out to be the very best idea. Around 4:00 PM it is supposed to get very very windy and rainy. So despite the beautifully sunny weather outside – we are hanging here at the Ranch.

Carrie makes scrambled eggs for the group for breakfast, and Dee champions the coffee pot.

I finished one of my paintings – and then work on doing some more greeting cards. This is a fun activity – I love picking a saying for inside, and then trying to imagine art for the outside of the card that fits… It’s a challenge. But after an hour – I want to focus more on doing what I came here to do – larger paintings!

I had taken a photo of a ladder leaning up against the wall of Georgia O’Keeffe’s home in Abiquiu – and the shadow was simply stunning – so I decided to paint that.

Dee helped me with my colors – she had a paint called ‘Terra Cotta’ – which when you add a bit of white and yellow looks like sunlit Adobe – and without the white – represents the darkness of Adobe in Shadow.

My fastest painting ever – it just came together! So check it out. I love the drama of it – and I adore the fact that it was FAST!

I don’t know if I’ve improved that dramatically – or this photo just rang a bell – or if having Dee help me with the color choices made it so much easier – but it was fast. And I love it.

Today is Carol’s last day – she has to get home for a funeral – and in true Tabetha fashion – is going to be doing a presentation on her Artist voyage for us tonight. I’m rather keen to hear how that goes. But meanwhile – I want to give her something to take home.

So after finishing my ‘Ladder to the sky’, I pick up some rocks from around the Ranch – and start painting them. Most come from a trash heap I found, some came from underneath plants – and some just jumped into my hands. I like rocks that call out to be painted – and all of these were obviously keen to be part of my Artistic Adventure. Each rock gets a layer of white, then I paint Santa Fe Art Retreat ‘24 with all our names – Tabetha, Carol, Dee, Cat, Char, Carrie, Leslie, Xan. And yes – to some I added a butterfly.

I make enough to give one to everyone – plus one for Leslie and Mitch (our hosts), and one more to hide somewhere on the Ranch – like an Easter Egg for other guests to find.

Dinner is another one of the delicious vegetarian offerings (with a Gluten Free section for Carol and a Dairy free section for Dee). For desert – my favorite – Ice Cream of course.

Then Carol does her presentation. She has been painting for years – took a bit of a time off because that happens – and is back at it hard as things have started to settle down in other parts of her life. That is a common back-story for most of us – Husbands, Divorces, Sick Kids – Emotional upheaval for which coming back to the focus of Art helps us cope.

I do like what Carol has done – particularly her Exploding Metal Grids in the windows. She sees things so differently – and isn’t afraid to capture her unique vision in paint.

I truly wish her the very best – she is a wonderful person to have gotten to know. I wonder which (if any) of these ladies I will ever meet again.

After the Artist show and tell, we sit down to chat and discover a card game hidden in the pile under the table. It’s called A Horrid Card Game – and the idea is very similar to Apples to Apples with a sexual bent! Everyone gets 5 or 10 cards – and one person – the Card Czar – gets a black card. It’s a fill-in the blank question to which each of us submits one of our cards. Then the Card Czar reads the entire thing – and some of these get us howling with laughter! Since Funniest gets the point – laughing is in fact the point of the game. It is really hard to think negatively when you are laughing so hard it hurts.

We laugh and laugh – then despite Dee’s attempt to get us to change games to Apples to Apples – I say good night. I definitely need my beauty sleep.

Another Art Retreat Day done!

Signing off – The Soup Lady

Ice Cream in Turin – aka La Romana


I Love Ice Cream – and I’m particularly fond of Pistachio Ice Cream/Gelato. And I adore the Ice Creams of Italy.

During my quick visit to Turin (July 2024) – I definitely intended to eat Ice Cream in as many places as possible.

But things got difficult. I was in Turin to do a Regency Weekend that included tours of several of the historical Palaces/Museums that related to Napoleon’s visits to the city, a dance practice, a Ball, and a night at a Turkish Bath. Squeezing in time to try Ice Cream was a challenge.

In the end – I only got to eat Ice Cream at La Romana. It was described as the best ice cream in Turin by the Receptionist at our hotel – and that was enough to make sure I found time to get some.

So – morning of the day we were to fly home turned out to be the only chance to get Ice Cream – and after breakfast we stored our luggage in the hotel and walked the 5 minutes to Piazza San Carlo.

La Romana is – for an ice cream shop – a magnificent store front. High ceilings, a long counter on one side, multiple tables in and around the displays of Ice Cream Confectionary, and a generally ‘yummy’ buzz of people enjoying the simple, but oh so good, offerings.

Ordering was simple – but required an explanation that clearly is given multiple times a day. First you pick a size and pay – only then do you get to taste and then select your flavours. This is the reverse of how it generally works in North America – because the hope is that upon tasting, you’ll order more. But – hey – when in Turin, do as the Turinians do!

So both my husband and I lined up to select a Medium sized Cup. Paid our 4 Euro’s each – and then lined up to select flavours. The team behind the counter cheerfully provided tastes – and in hindsight I should have done some tasting – but instead I just opted for the 3 flavours I thought sounded right.

Pistachio for sure, Sabayon, and a third that featured whole Hazelnuts and a name I can’t quite remember.

My husband also had several different flavours – but the Sorbet called Stratelli con More – Raspberry and Blackberry with Dark Chocolate pieces was not just his favorite – he went back for seconds.

Just how good was this Ice Cream? How about the best I ever had?

I actually started wondering if I could open a franchise in NOTL…

And I’m planning another trip to Turin. I definitely want more of that Ice Cream.

Signing off – The Soup Lady

100 Best Cities in the World – Where have you been?


Part 2 – Cities 50 – 74

I finished Part 1 – Cities 100-75 with a score of 13/25. Let’s see how I do with this part of the list.

Keep in mind that I’ve had 73 years to do all this travelling – and it’s not surprising I suppose that I’ve been to lots of places. But let’s be honest here – years 1-15 were spent growing up (Atlanta, New London, and a Navy Base), and years 16-21 were spent going to University and meeting my husband. Of the two – I probably worked harder on the later. But that’s a story for another time.

Bottom line – I started to seriously travel my junior year at Tufts. I spent a year abroad in London – and we took several trips to parts of Europe during school breaks and the summer that my year aboard ended. Be careful what you allow your kids to do I must say. That experience definitely set the tone for the rest of my vagabond existence.

74. Lyon – been there. Lyon is best known for it’s train station – and I think that’s were we spent most of the time we were there. Again this is pre-internet – so you visited the places you could find in a travel book. Lyon was more of a pass thru than a visit kinda town in those days.

73. Shanghai – Missed it! Toured almost all of China and didn’t manage to visit Shanghai. Oh well.

72. Minneapolis – Been through there. Big city in the middle of flat flat flat everything. Might be nicer to live there. Not a wonderful place to visit.

71. Warsaw – Missed it. Same trip as Cracow and Kiev – which is why the price got so out of hand. Check it on a map. You can’t do all three in one tour. We were nuts to even consider it.

70. Brisbane – sigh. See Perth. Never been. Love to go. Not now though.

69. Valencia – Been there! Great oranges. We spent a night there on our way from seeing the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Which I have to tell you is an absolute must see place! Valencia was a disappointment in comparison. Way it goes.

68. Helsinki – Nope – never been there. On a long list – not a short list too. So I won’t put the odds in it’s favor….

67. Ottawa – Been there lots! It’s the capital of Canada of course – and only about 1.5 hours from Montreal. They have a fabulous Regency weekend there every year – and we’ve been several times. They also have nice bridge sectionals and regionals. And of course we’ve taken folks who visit us there – particularly if they come from overseas. It’s an impressive kind of place – not a big city of course – but a lovely small town. I’m proud of our Capital.

66. Portland – Now here’s a question – Portland Maine or Portland Oregon. Doesn’t really matter because I’ve been to both. Portland, Maine is the cuter place – trust me here. Nice museums, nice shopping, cute water front, nice restaurants, easy walking. Portland, Oregon has big trees. And it’s a fairly big city. 66,000 for Portland, Maine, 695,000 for Portland, Oregon. So that’s really it in a nut shell.

65. Brussels – Ah, Brussels. Can’t even think about Brussels without thinking of Jacques Brel. Love his music – and of course he’s famous through out the city. Brussels has some of the best food in Europe in my opinion. And it’s so accessible. There are great places to stay that won’t break the bank, there are museums to see and enjoy, and there’s the food. Let me repeat – the food alone is worth the trip! And not just the Pates Frit! (Fries to you who don’t read French. And don’t call them French Fries – you are Brussels – that’s in Belgium.)

64. San-Jose – My son and his wife live in San Jose – so of course I’ve been there. We came thru several times – once on our way to Anza for an Napoleonic Re-enactments which I fondly remember. We had rented a motor home planning to visit some of the National Parks. Great plan – but it had issues. For starters – it took us 2 days to get out of San-Jose. We were simply too new to the entire Motor Home thing to feel safe leaving the driveway of my kid’s home. But once we got on the road – it was better. Truly scary thing – driving the highway from San-Jose to Los Angeles. Cross winds and a motor home are not fun!

63. Buenos-Aires – Been there. One of our good friend’s was in the middle of a rather nasty divorce and they hadn’t told the kids yet. And his son was getting married in Buenos-Aires. He commented that the only people he’d know would be his wife (and they weren’t speaking), his son and his daughter. So we volunteered to come to the wedding! It was an awesome trip. We included a trip to Iguacu Falls (they are amazing), went into wine country, rode horseback in the Andes, and had some incredible Argentine BBQ. We toured Buenos-Aires from tip to tail – even paying homage to Evita Perron’s grave site.

62. Delhi – Nope. Not on the list. Frankly – India scares me. I know folks that love it – they call it home. But they are seriously wealthy, and I think that might make a big difference. I love watching movies about India I will admit, and we once were invited to join a photography trip to take pictures of Tigers – in India. That might have been a lot of fun, but still – India scares me. Too crowded, too many really really poor people, Too much class divide.. I know myself well enough to know that I’m not comfortable in a country that treats parts of it’s population like dirt.

61. Riyadh – Nope. Never been

60. Philadelphia – City of Brotherly Love. Been many times, for many different reasons. It’s lovely. Classic even. A little bit of everything, tons to see and do – hard city to resist!

59. Stockholm – on the short list.

58. Denver – Mile High City. It’s not the city itself that’s so amazing – it’s the location. So near the Rocky Mountains you could spit on them. A bit of a cowboy kinda of place, mixture of rough and ready and high tech. Fun to visit. Skiing is incredible. Apparently the Mountain Climbing is also ‘to die for’ – but way out of my comfort zone.

57. Oslo – nope. Like Stockholm (and all of Norway, Sweden and Finland – it’s on the short list)

56. Naples – Florida or Italy? Doesn’t matter actually – I’ve been to both. And like the Portlands – I think I like the smaller one better. Naples, Italy has amazing food, lots and lots and lots of hills, some incredible views, ice cream I can still taste today, and of course – Herculum and Pompeii. I loved Herculum – partly because I had no expectations. And I admit that Pompeii was exhausting and hot and dusty. But still – worth the visit. Naples I’d go back to. Just for the food.

55. Phoenix – been there. Fell in love with it. I was totally ready to move there until my husband pointed out that there is no ocean. Right. That’s a problem. Ok – I’ll just have to visit. Don’t go in the summer though. We were there in the late fall and it was incredible. Still warm enough that you could enjoy going for a late night swim, but the days weren’t so insanely hot that you couldn’t walk outside!

54. Austin – missed it somehow. Which given how much of Texas I’ve visited seems a surprise. Maybe I was there and don’t remember. Hmmm.

53. Lisbon – Love it. My husband hated it. Ok – I admit, it’s hilly. And we were walking everywhere which drove my husband’s hip nuts. But it’s a simply wonderful place. Tons of things to do and see and some of the most incredible shopping. I loved our Air BnB with it’s private garden, I enjoyed riding the buses (a way to avoid the walking), and I found the food delicious.

52. Osaka – My kind of town. I had never been despite at least a dozen trips to Japan and frankly – I was impressed. Great museums, beautiful parks, tons of history, friendly people, nice walking, good bus/metro service – and like all of Japan – very very clean. What’s not to love. Oh – and the food was good. A win, win, win!

51. Hamburg. Germany again – and this one I know I visited. Lots of clocks, lots of old architecture, and lots of Germans.

Ok – so we’re half way thru – and my count is now 15 + 13 = 28 out of 50… Getting there!

100 Best Cities in the World – The count down begins now!


Part 1 – Cities #100-75

I saw this list and of course I started checking them off. Been there, want to go there, not on your life would I go there.

Which given that no one has been able to travel for MONTHS – seems on the face of it an insane activity. But I suppose a traveler remains a traveler at heart. It’s just been a time off kind of year I suppose.

I’m breaking the list down into 4 parts – partly to keep you interested… Marketer at heart that I am – and partly to keep the length of each blog reasonable. Too long is just begging to be boring!

Blogs should be like mini-skirts. Short enough to grab your attention, Long enough to cover the interesting parts!

I am also of course reminded of the line from “Changes in Latitudes, , Changes in Attitudes” that Jimmy Buffet sings – “Reading departure signs in some big airport Reminds me of the places I’ve been. Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure, Makes me want to go back again”

100. Cracow – never been. Probably never going to go either. Oh well – nothing like starting on a high note, right? This actually was on a plan maybe about 5 years ago – but the price of just getting there was daunting. But see – if I’d done it – I’d have done it!

99. Raleigh – I’ve been there. I don’t remember a ton about it though – we might have just driven thru – but it’s a lovely town. So now I’m 1 for 2

98. Salt Lake City – Been there LOTS! Seriously – I know this city. It’s on the way to Park City – where my husband and I have been going skiing regularly since 2002 (yes – that’s when they had the Olympics). It’s not a place I’d live – Salt Lake City that is – but it’s got a lot to recommend it as a tourist high point. And best – it’s a starting point for the truly outstanding National Parks Tour in Utah. Now that should definitely be on your must do list.

97. Mexico City – Now that’s a place I’d love to go. I’ve been to Mexico – but managed to miss Mexico City. Some day…

96. Glasgow – How did this dirty smelly kinda down in the dumps – sorry I went there – city make the top 100 list. Miracle or they paid off someone. Anyway – been there. Not going back any time soon. Never being soon enough actually.

95. Sacramento – I always think I’ve been here – but it might have been passing thru. We did do the drive down the West Coast – and I can’t think we’d have skipped it. But honestly – that was 49 years ago. So I honestly can’t say I remember it. So – 2.5 out of the top 5…

94. Manchester – This was one of my favourite stops on our UK trip s couple of years back. Great Museums. Fabulous train station. Well worth a few nights!

93. Düsseldorf – hummm – can’t remember for sure. I did a ‘Germany’ tour when I was 20 – and I’d bet that Düsseldorf was on it – but if it was – I don’t remember anything noteworthy. I’ll give it a – haven’t been. Probably never going.

92. Nashville – This is on my to do list! I lived in Atlanta for years and years – and never made it to Nashville because my parent’s had no interest. I came close when I went to play bridge at Gatlinburg – fried food capital of the world – they even fry Oreo cookies – but didn’t visit Nashville. Missed out on Dollywood too.

91. Bucharest – Been There. I was young – it was still Communist – I loved it because it was cheap and I could eat like a Queen and pay under $1. Don’t count on doing that today folks. So… 5 out of the bottom 10 on the been there list. 2 on the want to go list.

90. Minsk – sigh. I’d love to go – never been. Not looking good either. Oh well.

89. Perth – Missed that entire Continent! Same for New Zealand. On my to do list… when Covid is over and we can travel again…

88. Hanover – Been there. Part of my Germany Tour. Industrial. Ok. Nothing much to add. Sorry.

87. Kiev – remember how Cracow was on a plan… well Kiev was on the same plan. Trip got canceled due to insane cost.

86. Kuwait-City – Another entire part of the world I’ve never seen. And not on my to do list either.

85. New Orleans – Now we’re on familiar ground! I spent a week here visiting my daughter who was living there for 2 years. Plus we had a fab weekend there when my husband was being interviewed for a position at their new Marriott hotel. We even did the Mardi-Gras Bead tossing silliness! It was a hoot. Good food too. Fried Oysters were the best. And don’t get me started on the Red Fish Grill’s Double Chocolate Bread Pudding. Stuff of dreams….

84. Cologne – Another city that I visited multiple times. This is the home of one of the world’s largest (it might well be the largest – but I’m hedging my bets) Food Fairs. It’s incredible. A floor of Chocolate. 2 Floors of beer stalls. The most amazing raisins I’ve eaten at the Morocco pavilion. Insanely large, your feet are guaranteed to hurt – and that’s just day 1. It takes at least 3 days to see everything – and even longer if you actually want to try the food. I first tried Illy Coffee here – mind blowing. One year we did a taste tour of the competitors to Prosciutto Ham. Another year we focused in on Tomato’s. The fare is called Anuga – and when this madness ends – I highly recommend it if you think you are a foodie. It will set you to rights. Great Cathedral, adorable restaurants, and charming evening walks. Just do all this BEFORE the fair opens. You won’t have the energy to enjoy it afterwards.

83. Auckland – see Perth. Sigh

82. Baltimore – Check that guy off! I lived in Washington, D.C. for 3 years – and it’s not called ‘Balt-wash’ for nothing. Lots to see, lots to do – and super cool. Baltimore – definitely better than #82.

81. Rio-de-Janeiro – on the to do list. Not now of course. Someday.

So – out of the bottom 20 – I’ve been to 9. Not doing that well actually. But lots more to come.

80. Stuttgart – Been There! It’s lovely. Walled city is old fashioned and super quaint – and the new part is – well – new. I was young – on a bike – and stayed in a youth hostel. It was a different time, different kind of travel. You used books to decide where to visit – or relied on other folks reporting back on what they’d done that day. Man – has the internet changed the way I at least travel…

79. Athens – Been There! Went back. Twice. I love Athens actually. It’s not the cleanest city in the world, but folks there are actually really really nice. I sat on my glasses when I visited with my travel buddy – The Intrepid Traveller – and really flattened them. We were staying in a cheap hotel with an amazing view of the Parthenon – we actually shared both the bathroom and the shower with everyone on our floor. The guy running the hotel was super nice though and had a friend who was an eye glass guy! We walked to his office – and he fixed my glasses. For free. Since we didn’t have 2 nickels to rub together – we were thrilled.

78. Muscat. Nope.

77. Marseille – Yup – check that one off. Got to love the French Rivera. Such a lovely place. Too bad I can’t afford it anymore.

76. Edmonton – Yup – that’s another been there. Highlight of a trip to Banff and the Canadian Rockies that we took with our kids 35 years ago. Why the highlight? The Mall blew them away. They have more submarines in that Mall than the Canadian Navy. (Not that hard to do – we actually only had 3 at the time. And I think we might still only have 3). We had heard that the Pierogi’s were amazing – so we went on a Pierogi hunt. Good luck with that. They are made at home – so you need to know someone. We didn’t. Oh well. But the Mall was a hoot and a half.

75. Adelaide – oh dear – ending on a down note. See Perth.

Ok – Out of the bottom 25 cities – I’ve been to 13. So over 50% That’s not bad. I’m not cheating by looking ahead – so you’ll have to stay tuned.

How did you do against the Montreal Madame?

Signing off – The Soup Lady

The escape to Canada – Travel in the time of COVID


I’m not saying I thought getting home was going to be easy – I know London has a scary Varient and that travel was being heavily restricted – but I was still hopeful for an uneventful trip…

But first – what is this War Measures Act? I think it’s pretty important to understand that on a global scale – Canada is doing pretty well – and yet we’re seriously talking about the War Measures Act – now called Emergencies Act. This name change and ability to implement it was done in 1988. The big difference is that the Prime Minister can’t just say – I’m doing this. Parliament has to review it. Not sure they have to agree – but they must review it. So if it gets implemented – it will be after Parliament reconvenes on Monday, Jan 25.

But even so – getting out of Dodge and into Montreal seems the right thing to do on Saturday, Jan 23.

Adrienne and I, as planned, got up from a sleepless night at 6:30, got dressed and loaded up the car with my suitcases. Before leaving the condo I did one last sweep to be sure nothing was forgotten – looked good.

Our drive from her flat to Heathrow was absolutely uneventful. The only scary part was getting the car out of the seriously too small parking spot and onto the road. Once accomplished – the sailing was smooth. Traffic was light to non-existent and we arrived at Heathrow by 8:15.

Parked the car – took the elevator (only had to wait for one other group to board before we were able to ride up alone) to the 5th floor to find out that the COVID testing center – our first stop – was on floor zero. Ok – back on the elevator – back down.

There were lots and lots of signs of floor zero – so we pushed my loaded cart to the test center. It was clear that they were prepared for hundreds of people to be waiting in line – it looked like Disney land on a very bad day. But all the stanchions and all the ropes that marked line after line were completely empty.

There were perhaps 30 folks in line – and several ‘helper’ types directing traffic. I got in line by just asking folks – is this the end of the line – and Adrienne stood with my luggage waiting. It was much cooler in the open space near the stanchions – so she put on my good winter coat. I’m glad it got some use – I think that’s the only time it’s been warn since I left Montreal.

For a line, it moved quickly. Although the guy in front of me kept giving me the snake eye – I was standing too close to him. Even though I was masked and had on my face shield. Sorry about that – I should have grabbed an empty luggage cart to keep us apart.

The guy behind me was chatty – he told me that he’d decided to get the test done today but he was only flying tomorrow. He was heading for the US – and like me – needed a negative result to get on the plane. I’m guess that was true of most folks.

Rather quickly (maybe too quickly – I am nervous about this test) it was my turn. The helper at the front of the line told me that I’d go inside, get tested – they would email me the results. I could just show the PDF of the results to the ticket folks, or come back down and (for free – or basically included in the price) they would give me a printed copy.

Then I was ushered into a make-shift space. There was a row of tables with plastic separations, both front and sides. A young man guestured at me to sit down – took a look at my passport, and made sure I had an appointment (for an hour later – but apparently that was no problem). He took my money, and then sent me directly behind him to visit the nurse.

The nurse couldn’t have been nicer. He told me to relax, that this wouldn’t hurt, and when I had closed my eyes, took a wand and quickly swiped the inside of both nostrils. No swap down the throat, not pain, not even scary.

Whew.

I left the area – they had once side of the row of tables labeled in, one labeled out – but a bottle neck at the door. I had to wait till folks cleared the door way to get safely out and back to Adrienne.

We’d thought we’d be able to sit and have a cup of coffee/chai – but everything was blocked/closed/not available. We could have sat in the car.. but I was too nervous to take that option seriously, so we hugged and said good-bye.

Adrienne headed back to the car, I headed back up to floor 5 to wait for my ‘you are positive/you are negative’ email.

To my surprise – the inside of the airport was mobbed. Seriously mobbed. Well, ok – mobbed by COVID standards. I threaded my way past folks toward the coffee shop that was my destination. I needed coffee and I needed it now.

Unlike 3 months ago – the coffee shop was open ONLY for take-out. All the tables and chairs were blocked off or piled up – you are definitely not sitting here to enjoy that coffee. I got my top favourite British treat – a Bakewell Tart – and a medium latte. I found a quiet corner near Air Emirates and sat on my luggage cart to enjoy my coffee and read my newest story- Calico Joe.

Shortly after 9:30 I got my email saying my test was negative.. Whew. I drag myself back down to floor zero where a lovely staffer takes a picture of my phone showing my appointment ID – and returns with a printed copy of my test results- clearly showing the time, the date, the company that did the test, and my status – Covid Negative.

Whew

Now – onto check-in. I take the elevator back up to floor 5 – again waiting to ride alone. I’m not spending even 1 minute in a closed space with folks I don’t know… and I wend my way thru the crowds towards the Air Canada check-in. They verify my test results, my passport, my ticket – and let me in to the actual check-in area. There they again verify my passport, my test results (Am I Leslie Eiser, Leslie Agrin Eiser, or Leslie Agrin? I explain about my maiden name and the rules in Quebec – and I’m cleared), and told to go thru security.

I’m well ahead of the time I needed to be doing this – but I don’t care. Let me in.

Once passed security – again painless – I’m in the main area of Heathrow – and can check for the Gate assignment. The sign clearly says that the gate won’t be listed until 12:45 – and it’s now just shy of 10:00. So I find a safe corner – and actually can sit down. Unlike outside of security – here there are restaurants open, and even some shops. Everyone is masked, although not every one is ‘securely’ masked – and I spot a few staffers taking the whole – wear a mask thing – a bit too casually, but they have put large Cardboard signs on every other seat. So there’s lots of space between people. I’m fine.

Sooner than I’d have thought (Calico Joe is a great story), my gate is posted and I make the long long walk to section B. Basically I’m walking under the runway. But it’s not crowded (I think all those crowds went somewhere else – I’m not sure where though), and I’m fine.

I get to my gate, I wait for my turn to board. Staff is circulating thru the waiting area – making sure that everyone is clutching their negative COVID test results, has a valid ticket and a passport. The gal came a bit closer to me that I liked, but she did have to take the papers.

Eventually we’re called for boarding – and they take my temperature. Nice. They once again check my test, check my passport (I have to pull down my mask so they can see my face), scan my ticket – and I’m on the walkway to the plane.

Even getting myself and my carry-on down the tiny aisle isn’t too horrid, and I’m thrilled to see that I’m alone in my row. The stewards and stewardesses are making anyone further back than me move forward – they want to be able to sit separated as well. There’s someone sitting at the window to my right, then an empty seat, the aisle and then my seat. So I slide over one leaving 2 two empty seats and the aisle between us. There’s no one behind me. That’s good. And no one on the row to my left although there are folks at the windows both in front and behind that row. At first the row in front of me is also empty – but after the plane takes off, one of the passengers moves in. He’s wearing a mask, looks ok, and immediately lies down to sleep. Ok then.

Lunch is served – and is a LOT better than the cold Eggplant dish they served me on the way to London. At least it’s hot. And there’s a yummy chocolate pudding.. which might actually have had some real chocolate used in the making.

I watch 4 movies – two of which I can recommend – Military Wives (tear jerker but very good) and Wild Wild West. Wild Wild West is a steam punk version of a western action comedy and is really quite amusing, if a tad strange. Time went by quickly. I sanitized carefully every time I went to the toilet – and the ‘goodie’ bag they handed me had personal hand sanitizer inside. I had wiped down my seat before I sat down – so I felt pretty good about the whole thing.

We land in Toronto without issue. Since I’m in the very back of the plane, I allow all the folks to exit before me, and slowly make my way up the aisle and off the plane. Next challenge – Canadian Customs and Immigration.

Again – painless. There’s an extremely short line – clearly marked with 6’ separations and the inspectors are fast and efficient. The only hiccup is my ArriveCAN form. Turns out that there are 2 pages to the form, and I only saved the first page with the ID. I have to turn on my ipad, go back to the app and scroll down to the second page to show the very pleasant border guard my name. I’m in. He didn’t even ask me about the food I’m carrying (most of which I ate actually).

Now it’s follow the signs to the flight to Montreal. It’s a long walk, but since I only have my carry on, the biggest challenge is getting one foot in front of the other without tripping over my coat. All the doors are braced open so you don’t have to ‘touch’ anything. Again – that’s good.

Unlike Heathrow, the airport in Toronto seems relatively quiet. Some restaurants appear ‘open’ with folks sitting at tables. But since it’s now around 10:00 PM in London – I’m neither interested in food or even a drink. I just want to get on my flight to Montreal.

In the past – there were flights from Toronto to Montreal twice an hour – but in the time of COVID – they are down to 3 flights a day. The next flight leaves at 9:00 PM – 5 hours from when I arrived here in Toronto, and 2:00 AM London time. I’m going to have to hang tough on this one. I’m tired, I’m sore, I’m not happy – and I’m scared of exposure. I’m wearing my mask, my face shield, I’m sanitizing everything – and I’m still scared.

I walk and walk till I find the Montreal Gate. It’s isolated at the far end of one of the long halls – and at 5:00 PM is relatively empty. I sit down, but after about 30 minutes get very uncomfortable. Since this is the only flight to Montreal – anyone who is flying in from Florida, from Mexico, from Cuba, from any of a zillion holiday sun destinations – is coming here to sit and wait. And a lot of them are clearly NOT taking COVID seriously. Too close together, too many, too casual about masking.

I’m moving.

I find another area of the terminal that is much less busy, and settle down again. This time, it’s clear I’m not going to have to move on. No one is coming near me at all. I set a timer to remind me when to move back to my gate – I don’t want to miss the flight – and eventually it rings.

Walking back to my gate I realize that things have gone from bad to worse. Flight after flight must have arrived – and the number of folks waiting to get to Montreal has sky-rocketed. This flight could well be full – or at least a lot more crowded that I’m comfortable with.

Eventually they start boarding the flight. No temperature check. No looking at COVID Negative results – just scan your boarding pass (lower your mask so we can see your face) – and then on board. Oh dear.

There are lots of folks who have clearly returned from ‘sun’ destinations. They have beads in their hair, kids in tow, suntans, masks hanging from the glasses instead of snuggly around their faces, sandals and palm frond hats.

The Prime Minister of Quebec has been going on and on about folks taking these all inclusive holidays – at bargain rates I might add – and then returning – infected – back to Quebec and Montreal. He has been publicly blaming them for Quebec high infection rate – not that this has prevented them from going apparently. Part of the logic behind implementing the War Measures Act (Emergency Act) is to stop folks from doing exactly this – And I’m going to be on a plane full of them.

Oh dear.

My seat is on a row to myself, but there are folks behind me and in front of me who are clearly returning from these ‘sun’ destinations. I try to figure out where I can move that would at least feel safer. I try moving further back – but that feels worse. Finally I spot a row near the exit door that is empty. At the last minute I grab my things and take one of those seats. There is still one guy in front of me – and a lady to my left, but they both look like they are treating COVID more seriously.

At this point, the lovely stewardess comes over to hand me my forgotten back cushion. I guess she had spotted me trying to find another place – and knew exactly where I’d dashed off to! After handing me my cushion, she takes her place in the jump seat just in front of me – but safely distant.

The flight lasts for a very scary hour and a quarter. I drink the water they hand me – I don’t want to get dehydrated, but otherwise my mask and face shield stay firmly in place. If I don’t get COVID from this flight – it will be a miracle.

When we are landing, the nice stewardess sits back down on the jump seat – and I ask her if she’s concerned. She admits that the flight is quite a bit more crowded than normal – and it’s a tad alarming, but says that being careful seems the safest option. I hope she’s right.

I wait for EVERYONE to get off the plane before going back for my luggage, and then drag myself down the aisle,

Naturally – the terminal is basically empty. Everyone from our flight has bee-lined to the luggage pick-up location, and since I was last off, I’m basically alone.

I make the walk to the luggage carousel hoping that the suitcases have already been delivered and picked up. No such luck. The herds from our flight are all clustered around the carousel – waiting.

I back off, and move to a quiet area and wait. When I spot my suitcase, I circle around the hoard and grab it off the Carousel.

Now I just need to get a taxi and I’m home. The taxi proves to be more challenging than normal. There’s no one running the dispatch line – it’s a free for all as folks push past me to grab a cab. Finally one taxi takes pity on me and actually stops right in front of me. I get in, we leave, I get home. I’ve never been so glad to see my home – EVER!

Hubby, Bed, Bathroom, my fridge, my house, my yard, my bird feeders… I’m so happy.

Signing off in fond hopes that things are going to get a lot better – soon would be nice… The Soup Lady

Day 226 – 7 Days of total Quarentine done…


And no blood on the floor. Yet. Has to be a record.

When last we chatted – I was flying into London just under the ‘total lock-down’ wire to visit my daughter, her hubby, and my grand-daughter. She had picked me up at the airport – and we’d arrived at her home (a lovely, but extremely cozy – no other term for it really – flat) in London.

The rules for foreign travellers coming into the UK is quite strict. You actually have to fill in a form giving your ‘Quarentine’ location before you board the plane – and they insist on knowing exactly how you plan to get there, if you plan to change location, who will be impacted… ya da ya da.

And they check up! Seriously. I arrived on Wednesday – Nov 4, and on Nov 5 I got a call to verify that I was where I said I’d be – that I knew that Nov 5 counted as day one, and that I wasn’t planning on moving!

Nice to know they are taking it seriously.

So – how is a week trapped in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1 living/dining/kitchen room flat in London faring?

As I said before – no blood on the floor. Has to be a good sign, right?

To say we are close is an understatement. And while the flat is well insulated for sound – I can’t find anywhere I can sit and chat with my husband or my friends that I’m not overheard by at least my daughter. Her hubby might be listening in – but at least he doesn’t comment on my comments. Privacy – not really happening here!

On the good news side – I’m in London. And my daughter is a chef (runs in the family, eh?) so the food has been really good.

And more good news side – I have my own bedroom with a proper bed. And why is this special? Because my grand-daughter is not in London. She’s ‘camping’ out at her other Grand-parents in Sutton Courtney because she can’t be exposed to me until after I’ve done the 14 day required Quarentine. So – I’ve got the 2nd bedroom. Once she returns to London – she gets her bed and bedroom back and I’ll be sleeping on a air mattress in the living/dining/kitchen room..

Why is sleeping on an air mattress in the living/dining/kitchen room a downgrade? Because it’s on the floor! And at this point in my life, getting up from the floor is a lot harder than one remembers it being even 2 years ago… But I’d do anything to be here… I can re-learn how to get up off a floor if I have to.

Sleeping arrangements aside – life in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1 main room flat is actually pretty busy. I’ve been helping my daughter out as best I can – which entails doing some data entry (ah – that long ago typing course is yet again a life-safer), some newsletter design, and learning a lot more than I did before about SEO.

She signed up for the amazing on-line E-commerce Growth Hub Program – and it’s awesomely good. I admit to being completely impressed. There’s a section on SEO that I’ve been listening to with my daughter and I am sold. These folks are inspiring, effective, efficient and super knowledgable. Man – I wish I’d known this stuff when I was running a website store.

I haven’t, unfortunately, been playing much bridge. I’m sure my bridge partners are missing me – but the time change is not working in my favor – by the time games start on the East Coast of the US – I’m eating dinner here in London. And it seems wrong to say – yup – traveled all the way here and I’m not joining you guys for dinner. So I’m back to doing the substitute route – and even that’s not working that well. I need at least 2.5 hours free time to volunteer to be a sub – and my daughter is quite capable of making sure that doesn’t happen.

I’ll be fine – the bridge can wait. And honestly – I don’t need more Black MP – I need SILVER MP – and the ACBL (that’s the group that controls bridge playing and the granting of ‘life master’s’) hasn’t offered any opportunities to earn Silver point since May. Boo-hoo.

More positive things – I’m getting very very good at using ZOOM! I’ve been able to chat with my sisters, my friends, my husband – with other bridge players – you name it – there’s a ZOOM for it. I’m on an HOA board in Vermont – no problem, we ZOOM our meetings. Want to discuss bridge hands – you got it – do a ZOOM. Man – I think I should buy stock! They must be laughing at their numbers.

Down sides of this experience – We are definitely having challenges with garbage. As I mentioned – this is a flat (condo?) in a 6 floor building in London. But there’s no garbage chute. Instead there’s a Garbage room on the ground floor – entered thru an outside doorway. But we can’t get there. We’re not supposed to leave the flat. For any reason at all. So the hallway outside and the elevator and stairs are off limits.

What do you do with the garbage and recycling piles that are building up? Answer – we’re not sure. We’ve put one big bag of garbage outside on the mini-balcony – and I’ve repackaged the recycling 4 times to make it as space efficient as I can. And it’s only week one…. I’ve suggested asking neighbors for help – but you need to be really friendly with a neighbor before you can ask them to handle your garbage for you…

I even suggested handing the garbage to a delivery guy.. but that’s a no go either. So it’s going to be building up in here…

Food is also a bit of a challenge. Since all of London is on ‘lock-down’ – available slots for grocery delivery got gobbled up quickly. When we looked last the first available date for the major on-line grocery site was late November… Not good if you need food for this week!

Fortunately – my daughter – being in the food industry – has alternative resources! She can call on friends that are Green Grocers to deliver – and The Butchery that is next door to the place she makes her sausages has offered to do a meat run (ok – I adore meat… get over it!).

We did have some run-ins. Our first attempt to get apples went afoul of our ability to understand units of measure. We thought we were getting a kilo of apples, pears, and red peppers – they sent us ONE Apple. And ONE Pear. And ONE red Pepper. Ok – lesson learned – read the units of measures carefully!

To be honest – we could have figured it out if we’d thought about the prices… but we were in a rush – and you know what happens when you rush… Clearly you end up with an order for One Apple, One Pear, and One red Pepper.

Evenings at my daughters are spent either playing board games (which I love), or watching Netflix. I admit to being rather addicted to RuPaul’s Drag Race, and we also watched some strictly British offerings like Staged. It’s a ‘lock-down’ based drama about two famous actors – David Tennant and Michael Sheen – who are trying to deal with lock-down, the impact of the pandemic, and life lived too close for too long with loved ones. I was particularly intrigued with the idea of going out into the garden and just screaming… Too bad the neighbors got nosy.. If I did that here – I’d be on a tiny balcony in full view of the world..

Not happening.

So – while I can’t say things are going smoothly – my daughter and I beg to differ – loudly – on many issues – there is no blood on the ground. Yet.

Signing off to start yet another day of lock-down… The Soup Lady

Day 219 – Traveling under COVID Restrictions


Getting stir crazy yet? How about a trip across the Ocean – does it sound a bit scary? Well – It seems really scary to me

But my daughter lives in London – and she needs me/wants me to come. And I need/want to come. And since saying no to my daughter just isn’t happening – I’m heading out, masks in hand.

All this explains why I am sitting in a deserted airport lounge waiting for my flight to London to depart.

Last time I flew was April 1 – on my escape from St. Croix (I’m still sorry I had to go – but that’s another story). The airports were deserted then – and trust me – that has not changed! If anything, more things are closed, there are more barriers up, and you can forget about eating anywhere that looks like an inside.. Closed, Closed, Closed!!!

And coming into the airport is now restricted – or at least there is only one working door (conveniently in the middle of the airport – so FAR from where I need to go). I snake around the barriers, spritz my hands, and walk into the empty main concourse. Air Canada is located to the far right – so I drag myself and my luggage basically 1/2 the length of the very long terminal building to the check-in desks.

The plan is for me to leave Montreal and fly to London. I first checked with American Airlines – who are holding my tickets to London on British Airways. BUT… they can only fly me to London via the US. And I’m not going into the US right now. I’m not easy about being in the airport in the US – I’m definitely not going to be in an airport on Election Eve in the US.. Nope. Not for me.

So I had to get a credit for that trip – and re-arrange my trip. I had a choice – X for a flight that changed in Toronto – and Y (X ++) to fly direct. I choose direct. I am not comfortable with going to any more airports than I need to.. No way.

Ok – so I choose Air Canada. My logic here was – it’s the national airline of Canada – no matter what they will get me home from London.. At least that’s the plan.

I had pre-checked in – which may or may not have helped because when I get to the check-in counter they ask for my COVID form for the UK.

Huh? What form?

Conveniently they have an OR code for me to scan that takes me right to the form – so I stand near the check-in desks to fill it in – Nope, I don’t know anyone with COVID. Nope, I don’t have a fever. Nope, I don’t have other symptoms, and Yes – I have a place to Quarantine when I get to London.

Form done – I go back to the counter – and the gal makes a scary statement – “Cutting it close aren’t you?” I immediately start to panic. I thought I’d have 2 hours to clear security and walk to the gate before it was time to board. Time to even include a bathroom stop. Now I’m upset and alarmed – I must have the time wrong – I’m going to be running.

I do the really old lady run (ok – don’t laugh – we can run, it’s just a very slow thing to watch) and get to the snaking line that goes to security. No surprise – it’s empty.

As will quickly become the norm here in the airport – there is more staff than customers in the security area. I breeze thru – well, except I forget that my watch is made of metal – which causes the bells on the metal scanner to go off. Take off watch, leave on counter, go back out, come back in – all clear. Sigh.

Now I need to get to my gate. For those unfamiliar with the Montreal Airport – there are 3 distinct sections. There’s the part that goes to the US (I’m not there), then there are the co-joined parts that go either to other parts of Canada or to other parts of the world. The issue here is that there’s US immigration here in Montreal – you effectively enter the US on Canadian soil – so that part is isolated.

I’m in the Canada and the rest of the World section – with the Canadian gates to my right – and far far far on the left – the World gates. Naturally – my gate is almost at the end of the far left section. Another long long ‘run’ dragging only my carry-on this time – but still – down an effectively empty concourse.

I reach my gate – and discover that the friendly check-in gal was thinking I was going to Paris – not the UK. Her time is short alarm was based on when the flight to Paris left – not when my flight departed. I do have the hour and more to wait that I’d figured on. But now I’m sweaty, I’m panicked, my stomach hurts – and there’s nothing open. I’m not walking back – so it’s find a seat far away from everyone else, recharge my phone and ipad – and wait….

Eventually – and on time I will admit – they load our flight. I’m counting passengers – and it looks like about 40-50. Given that this is one of those massive trans-ocean flights – seating upwards of 400 passengers- the flight will be empty. In fact – there are more staff than passengers. Not only is my entire row empty – so is the one in front and in back of me.

I’m very happy about that. Fewer people, less exposure.

The food is predictably lousy – a cold Eggplant Parmesan which would have been lovely heated, some kind of strange salad I couldn’t eat, and a too too rich piece of chocolate cake. No dinner for you dear!

Well – my husband kindly packed my grand-daughter’s Halloween treat bag gift – so I ate that, watched a movie, slept in a contoured position, and woke to the flight crew announcing that we were landing in London.

Cool – that was painless.

I’m all the way in the back of the plane – so to get off – it’s yet again with the drag the bag. And then there’s the forever long walk thru the empty terminal towards British Immigration.

Huge lines (where did all these people come from?) snake from the immigration booths towards me – and again I panic needlessly. I’m carrying a Canadian Passport with the seal that lets me use the electronic booths – and I’ve pre-filled in that form. I literally breeze past everyone else – walk up to an empty electronic booth – present my passport – and I’m in! Well – that was easy.

I find my suitcase, exit the secure part of the airport and drag myself, my suitcase, my carry-on, and my Montreal weight Winter Coat to my favourite first stop in London. Cafe Nero at the airport for a Late and a scone with Clotted Cream and Jam. Heaven on a plate! And they are open – and they have seating… And the seating is well spaced.

I’m a very happy camper.

Now I must wait for my daughter to arrive. My plane arrived at around 7:00 AM, I was out of the secure portion of the airport by 8:00 AM – and my daughter can only pick me up at 1:00 PM. I’m going to be hanging at Cafe Nero for a while.

But except for a group of airport employees on break that weren’t wearing masks and decided to cluster at a table near me (I picked up and left that seat) – I was fine. I found a comfy chair, put the cart with my luggage in front of me blocking anyone from coming to close – and I played bridge!

Eventually my daughter arrived – wearing a mask of course. As were most of the folks I saw. We exited the airport, loaded my suitcases into her car – and started the long (over 1.5 hour) drive back to her place. London traffic on the eve of a Lock-down is insane. But the rules are that I must go directly from the airport into lock-down, and we’re following the rules.

Our plan now – my daughter and her husband are joining me for the required 14 days of Quarantine. They have been shopping madly, and stocked up. Plus we can get delivery – no worries. So we’re going to hang out here in her tiny condo and try not to get on each other’s nerves or in each other’s way.

Signing off to finally sleep…. The Soup Lady