The Western Med

Days 1-3

• Madrid
• Barcelona
• Palma

Day 1: Madrid to Barcelona

We made it! We're here in Barcelona and loving it so far.  The flight over was fine, albeit short, so the little siesta on the train from Madrid to Barcelona gave me life!

The Madrid train station has this beautiful garden in the center

and the gardens have turtles

Once in Barcelona, we dropped our bags and walked around, stumbling upon a cathedral which is constantly being worked on.  We called it the "cooky church" because, well, it was cooky! Our pictures just can't capture it.

Look at all of the different architectural styles in one building

We also loved just walking around the beautiful old streets, stopping at cafes for wine and tapas, and marveling at the beautiful architecture.

We kept coming across beautiful plazas to stop and have a drink at

Jason is going to love this country

Wonderful little alleys to explore

Beautiful church! The Cathedral de Barcelona!

 After a day of walking, we had the best fish dinner at a place called Arroz Y Peix.  Successful first day!

The rest of the crew gets here tomorrow for another day in Barcelona!

Day 2: Barcelona

Another day in Barcelona, and this one was a lot better than yesterday.  Not that yesterday was bad at all, but maybe we were just tired from the travel?  I don't know, we didn't fall in love with Barcelona.  Today, however, we did.  We started with the Picasso Museum.  We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so I found some images on the internet, but it was so cool.  First of all, it was set in 4 side by side Medieval palaces that were turned into this museum.  We got the listening tour, so we really got to dive in and learn a lot about his evolution.  So interesting!

Jason's favorite was this painting, Les Meninas

Another highlight was Margot

It was so cool to see the art set in this Medieval palace

The building was as impressive as the art

Then we strolled this little neighborhood until the rest of the sailing crew arrived, we walked around, drank some wine, got to know everyone over cocktails on the roof, and made plans for the rest of our trip.

Tomorrow we will fly to Palma, our departure point for sailing.  We'll spend one night there, then we're off!

Day 3: Palma

We LOVE Palma! There's just something about a port town that is so quaint and romantic! Once we got here and freshened up at the hotel, we got a quick bite at a port-side restaurant and then just explored the town.  It reminded us a lot of Kas, which is possibly my favorite little town in the world, so no wonder I liked it so much!

We had fun taking pictures in front of this beautiful 15th Century Cathedral.

Of course it was Fashion Week in Mallorca! We couldn't help but strike a pose! 

There was great shopping in little shops all around town, we bought some great sausages for the trip from this lovely little place.

We ended with drinks at Abaco, a place Leah remembered fondly, and we laughed over wine and beers and very loud classical music

 Tomorrow we will FINALLY get on the boat and get on the water!

Last Minute Maui

Day 5

It’s Sunday and Jason and I are both in the hunt for the finals in our fantasy football leagues.  I know how this sounds, but we went to a sports bar and watch the early games.  It was cool, though.  The bar had views of the ocean, the Sunday Ticket, and mimosas.  The games are so early here that we could watch over breakfast and still have a day.  That’s exactly what we did. After the early games, we went to the beach and relaxed.

Breakfast Bar

Jason is in the water here.  Look closely!

Then we caught the Eagles game over happy hour dinner at the restaurant we went to on our first night.  From there we could watch the game and the sunset.  Win – win.

Finishing where we started.

Jason leaves tonight and I leave in the morning.  It’s just the way we were able to get th tickets so last minute because Jason needed to get to Minnesota.  So we went back to the condo and got Jason packed and I drove him to the airport.

Day 6

Today I woke up, cleaned the condo, returned our rental chairs and headed to Paia for some shopping.  It’s a cute little town with some great galleries and shops.  On the way I heard there was an accident on the road to Lahaina and I thought I was lucky to not have to deal with that and instead got this beautiful rainbow as I was driving!

Another perfect rainbow!

So I did some Christmas shopping and loaded up on food for my trip from a great grocery store called Mana.  Then I headed to airport to return my car.  As I pulled in, the guy taking my car asked where I was coming from, when I said Kihei, he said he hasn’t seen anyone from the West side of the island because of that closed road.  I thought I was lucky that I wouldn’t miss MY flight because of that and headed to my gate.  In fact, I was a little early, so I had lunch and a last rum punch and waited.

Not a bad way to wait for my flight.

My flight was delayed 2 hours because – of course – my flight crew WAS on that side of the island and couldn’t get to us.  The worst part was that I would miss my connection.  No problem, we worked it out and put me on the last flight from Phoenix to the East Coast, then from there I’ll get to Philly in the morning.

Alas, it’s not that easy.  Our delayed flight took forever to get off the ground, so I knew I was cutting it close.  We landed at 2:10am and my next flight was 2:20am.  I literally ran to the gate and got there, but as I stood there, I listened to them give away the last seats to the people on standby and I was SOL.  Luckily they got me on the NEXT flight, which was 8am and put me up at a hotel nearby.  I finally got to the hotel at 3am and set up my alarm for 6am and hit the sack.  I was so tired.

I was so tired I slept until 8am!!!!!  I missed my flight.  What can you do?  I’ve learned from these kinds of things that there is NO point in getting upset about anything you cannot control.  It will work out eventually.  We’ve definitely had worse travel days, so  I got to the airport and got on the standby list for the 10am flight and waited some more.  There were 2 seats available and I was number 12 on the list.  Worst-case scenario: I’m on the wait list for 12pm flight, and there are over 20 seats on that one.  I knew I’d get home today.  Well, it turns out that a lot of the names above mine were military and they didn’t want to get on the plan if they weren’t together, so they all opted to wait for the next flight when they could fly together.  And just like that, I got on the flight!  Home sweet home.  Now we just need Jason to get home tomorrow morning and we’re all ready for the holidays!

Mahalo and Mele Kalikimaka!

Last Minute Maui

Day 1

This was a very last minute trip and because it's not one we planned for, we're making it up as we go.  We've been to Hawaii before and did it resort style when Jade was young.  This time, though, we wanted to live like a local so we rented a tiny little condo on the beach.  I like to do that now since I have so many food allergies and can control what I eat better.  We also rented a car, but that was it!  No other planning went into this trip at all.  In fact, we didn't even pack a camera!  This is going to be an iPhone captured trip (sorry in advance for the less than professional pics).

As we flew into Maui, we could see the top of the mountains we will be hiking later above the clouds.

We landed in the early evening, so we hit happy hour and watched the sunset, then had dinner at a great little place called The Monkeypod.

Day 1

• Big Beach
• Waihee Ridge Trail

This morning I was up incredibly early and Jason wasn't too far behind me, we really didn't know what to do and we were tired and pale, so we packed some water and snacks and headed to one of Maui's famous beaches.  We chose the Big Beach in Makena.  It's over a 1/2 mile long and wide, with soft sand and big breaking waves.  It was a little windy, but we read a little, dipped in the ocean, walked the length of the beach and really enjoyed this beautiful spot.  The view of the island from in the water was pretty amazing, and since we got there so early, we had to ourselves for a little while.

We decided maybe this is how we should start every day, just pick a different beach and relax each morning while we plan our day!

When we started getting hungry, we headed off to lunch at a little place called 808 Deli.  It was such a great lunch in this little tiny tucked away place.

After some good grub, we went home, got changed, and headed out for a short 5 mile hike on the Waihee Ridge Trail.  We had to pass through a cattle-proof gate and up a 200-ft cement road that was pretty steep, I'm not going to lie, I was winded, but once we got off the paved road, we turned into the forest and it was so pretty.  Pictures don't really capture it...

Treated to a view of waterfalls about 1/3 of the way up.

Our first turn into the forest

The tops of the mountains were in the clouds

Jason can't read

The views were so great, but the iPhone just can't capture it.

Again, the phone doesn't capture it, but parts of the path looked like they belonged in the Lord of the Rings

Made it to the top in the clouds

Had to play with the colors to get the rainbow to show

Then we ran back down

The views were amazing on the way down.  I'm in the picture there somewhere.

After our hike we decided to clean up and head out to dinner someplace close by and hit the sack.  We were beat!  

Tour of Turkey

We are sitting at the first class lounge waiting for our flight. In anticipation of a lot of traffic, we left quite early and got here with no traffic at all. Here we are with 3 hours to spare! See you in Istanbul!

Flying Tips from Frequent Flyers

Jade and me in the new first class pods.

As people who fly a lot, we have a few tips for long flights.

Before leaving

First of all, when you book your flight, check Seat Guru to find your best seat.  The website is awesome and this way, you'll know just where to sit.  Then make sure you check in online to save time at the airport.

Now, before leaving for the plane, I like to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.  I use argon oil all over my body, followed by a body moisturizer, and I put a nice facial moisturizer on, too.  I wear very little makeup on the plane, because it's likely going to be all over my face.  If I'm going to want makeup on when I land, I'll bring it with me and apply in the seat before landing. (This only goes for a long flight, for short flights I will wear makeup.)

I also make sure I pack the following before leaving for the aiport:
- I'm very light sensitive when I sleep, so I bring an eye mask
- Jason is sensitive to noise, so he brings noise cancelling headphones
- Again, the planes are so drying, I bring facial moisturizer and lip balm to reapply as needed
- This one should go without saying, but hand sanitizer, and use it OFTEN.  Everything you touch on the plane has been touched by hundreds if not thousands of people
- Water is very important.  Buy a big bottle after security
- I also eat a lot when I'm bored, so I pack lots of healthy food: fruit, veggies, nuts and protein bars

How to dress
I remember when we used to get dressed up to fly.  Now people literally go in their pajamas (gross) or sweatsuits.  Just a tip, they will never upgrade someone dressed sloppily to first class.  Never.  It's in the rules.  Here's my favorite outfit on a long flight (it's what I'm wearing in the picture above):

- Think layers! a loose fitting, comfortable tee shirt or tank with a black cardigan

- A large black pashmina which can double as a blanket or pillow

- Leggings are super comfy and fashionable

- A leather jacket or blazer

- Flats or riding boots.  My feet swell, so now is not the time for pumps, and sneakers are only for the gym.

- Huge sunglasses.  If I'm not wearing makeup, or I've gotten puffy on the plane, I just like to hide behind large sunglasses

Side Note:  While flying I like to keep to myself and wear headphones and read.  Everyone has their favorite way to fly, but for me, I make a playlist that will get me in the mood for my destination, load it onto my ipad, and read while listening.  It's one of the few times I'm not working, so I like to take advantage.

Airplane Etiquette 
We always know the amateurs because they have no idea about Airplane Etiquette.  Don't be that guy! 

- Wait for your row or boarding zone to be called, and wait someplace else, not around the gate entry.  Don't be rude.  I know the overhead space is a premium and with charges for checked bags, everyone wants to carry-on, but if you get onto the plane and can't find space, hand your bag to the flight attendant.  You might be lucky enough to have your bag gate checked, which means it will be waiting for you as soon as you get off the plane.   Even better!

- When you board, put your bag in the overhead quickly and get into your seat, you are holding up the boarding of everyone when you take forever to find the perfect spot for you bag.  Also, if you are behind someone having trouble getting their bag into the overhead bin, help them out.  Everyone behind you will thank you.  One final note about overhead bins, please put your bag in the general vicinity of your seat, not in the first bin at the front of the plane when your seat is in the back.  What will the people in front do?  Go to the back of the plane to put their bags on?  Come on!

- Once you've done that, sit down, turn off your phone, and sit patiently.  The flight won't take off until that's done and it's YOU keeping the rest of us from going.  Don't go to the restroom, don't go talk to your friend 5 rows back, don't talk on the phone and have the flight attendant tell you 5 times to turn it off.

- Now that you're in the air, someone asks if you can trade spaces.  Here's the tip, never ask someone in an aisle or window if they want to trade for your middle seat.  Not going to happen.  Instead, try to trade like seats for like seats.

- Armrests:  The person in the middle seat gets both armrests.  Period.  That's the rule.  If you are in the aisle seat or the window seat, you can lean away.

- If you need to go to the restroom during a flight, please don't use the seats in front of you as your crutch.  It's not at all fun to be woken up by the shaking of your seat by someone grabbing it by your headrest and shaking you.  Also, try not to bump or kick the seat in front of you if you can at all help it.  (This also goes for movie theaters, but that's another post).  And don't forget those touchscreens on the backs of the headrests, don't pound to hard on those either.

That's all I can think of for now.  Happy Travels!
~Sue