Travel Photo Thursday: Medianoche Magic

Madrid comes to life at night – not only its people ,but its buildings as well.  This week’s Travel Photo Thursday shot was taken on our last night in this enchanting city last spring.

On this particular night, at medianoche, or midnight, the streets had an almost magical feel about them. We’d skipped the early evening ritual tapeo, the parade between tapa bars for sipping and sampling, opting instead to dress up and head to the elegant bar at The Westin Palace Hotel, just a couple blocks from our apartment. 

Built in 1912 by King Alphonso XVIII, the building looks and feels like a palace.  We’d walked across an expansive, elegant lobby to reach the cozy dark-wood paneled  bar where we sipped wine and people-watched the night away.

But too soon medianoche, that magical hour (and bedtime) was calling. As we stepped out of  ‘the palace’ we saw this magnificent structure – perhaps another ‘palace’  - across the street:


(Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

Washington Wednesday: Road Trip Sips

A couple of weeks ago we focused on nibbling your way through our Evergreen State, so today we're sipping through Central Washington – legally, of course.

We love stopping in the small town of Cashmere on our road trips to Joel’s hometown, Chelan.  Its main street is simply a Norman Rockwell painting come to life.

But it wasn’t until last month that we finally followed directional signs posted throughout the town and into the orchards that surround it to the Cashmere Cider Mill.



Cider is a term used in the United States for a non-alcoholic beverage made from fruit; primarily apples.  And at the Cider Mill they have ratcheted up the art of cider making!  After the lady at the tasting counter insisted we sip one flavor, we quickly worked our way through four flavors and left  with two bottles of those we liked best -- one a traditional apple and another pear – promising them we'd be back and stock up again the next time we were in town.

Don’t let that plain warehouse of a building in the photo above deter you because they've transformed the cavernous inside into a charming store that, besides featuring their ciders, offers a tasting counter for other products and edible souvenirs galore.

A lush green garden area with plenty of seating borders the parking lot and makes the perfect spot to eat and drink the goodies you’ve purchased – and there's an art barn (pictured on the left) for more shopping!

For those who want to sample some of the area’s local wines, head a bit further east to the Wenatchee Valley Visitors Center, in the town of Wenatchee, where this summer a new wine tasting center opened.  For $4 you can taste wines from seven wineries and another artisan cider (this one a  hard cider – that is, one with alcohol.)

If You Go: Click the link above for hours of operation at The Cider Mill, 5420 Woodring Canyon Road, Cashmere, 509-782-3564.  Wenatchee Valley Visitors Center, 5 South Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee, 800-572-7753.

Getting There:  Cashmere and neighboring Wenatchee are in central Washington State. Fly from Seattle to Wenatchee’s Pangborn Memorial Airport, four miles outside town.  Or take a scenic 2.5 hour drive from Seattle through Washington's Cascade Mountain range.

We’re “Fall-ing” for Spain

Spring in Madrid caught us off-guard. 

We had amply prepared to explore a new city. . .but we weren’t prepared to be enchanted by it. 

Nor, at the time, did we suspect that the magic spell it cast over us would linger through the summer and prompt us to book a return trip to Spain this fall.

And while admitting that we are suffering from enchantments; we were so taken with the Celebrity cruise that took us to Spain, we've booked ourselves on one of their repositioning cruises that will depart Barcelona for Ft. Lauderdale, visiting several ports of call that will be new to us along the way.

We so liked what we saw of Spain in the springtime, we’ve booked our pre-cruise flight to allow us a few weeks to continue our explorations.  We are planning to take a very circuitous route to the port – via Andalusia.

We will fly to Seville, then after a few days of soaking up history, will hop a train or bus to Osuna (too small to show on this map) a picturesque country town about 55 miles away for a few more days as we make our way to Malaga. At this port town, we will pick up a rental car -- and our friends who are arriving from London -- and our foursome will head to Marbella for a week of modern tourism at the Marriott Vacation Club on the Costa del Sol before heading to Barcelona. 

As usual Joel’s been finding us ‘deals’ in airfare, cruise prices, and accommodations. In the coming weeks we will tell you more about those, the places we are heading and the cruise we are taking.

9.11.11: Remembering 3 World Trade Center

As we’ve read traditional and social media reports commemorating the tragic events of a decade ago, one in particular stood out because it told the story of a New York hotel located at 3 World Trade Center.

The article focuses on the little tower – the one that housed the 22-story hotel, The Marriott World Trade Center -- and the role it played as a portal for those brave first responders who raced to save victims in the adjacent Twin Towers . 

It ran in The New York Times a year after the attack and this week was linked to Bill Marriott’s blog. It’s worth a look:
 read article

Travel Photo Thursday: A New Perspective

First, a big thank you to all who commented on last week’s photo; Greece, we believe,  is one of the special places in the world.

This week’s Travel Photo Thursday photo was taken as we approached land after a six-day transatlantic crossing, during which time we had not seen another ship, bird or sign of life.  As we neared our first port of call, Madiera, some 300 miles off the coast of Africa, we spotted another ship setting sail – it was cause for us shutterbugs to race for our cameras. As I bent over for this angle a woman who'd been directing her husband's photo efforts, called out, “Look how she’s doing it, take one like that!”. . .making me laugh so hard I nearly miss the shot.

(To see other photos from this cruise, watch the slide show in the right hand column of our blog's home page, www.travelnwrite.com)

Washington Wednesday: Fall’s a “Ferry” Good Time

Seattle’s waterfront is a must-go destination any time of year but when the sun finally comes out, as it has this fall, there really is no better place to be.  And while you are there don’t miss a ride on a Washington State ferry.

We have to be honest:  they are no where near as nice as the cruise-ship like Greek ferries we’ve been on, but these little work horses – on a nice day – will have you up topside snapping photos like crazy.

One of the quickest ferry rides will take you from Seattle to nearby Bainbridge Island, where the town of Winslow is an easy walk away from the ferry dock.  Have lunch there and do some shopping, and hop the ferry back to continue explorations along the waterfront.





While simply walking along the Seattle waterfront offers some spectacular views and provides cheap entertainment in itself, (Click to enlarge the photo to the left you will see Mt. Rainier in the background.) we do recommend you visit:

1) The Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaskan Way, 206-386-4300, where you’ll come face-to-face with all sorts of underwater creatures.  Check their website for hours and admission prices, by clicking the link.

2) The Olympic Sculpture Garden, 2901 Western Ave., 98121, 206-654-3100, where you are free to stroll among the pieces of art in this outdoor garden setting where – as an added benefit – you have spectacular views of Puget Sound. No admission charge.

3) Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, currently located at 1001 Alaskan Way, 98104, 206-628-5844, is an icon of the Seattle waterfront.  It opened in 1899 as a museum of natural wonders and today is a showplace for weird curios and oddities like shrunken heads. . .and of course, is a great place to get odd souvenirs.

4) Ivar’s Seafood Bar, or Ivar’s Acres of Clams restaurant at Pier 54, 206-467-8063, is the place to get a bowl of steaming clam chowder.  Another Seattle landmark , Ivar’s has been around since 1938.

5) The Edgewater Hotel, yes, Baby Boomers, it is where the Beatles and the Monkees stayed during their visits to Seattle. Recently upgraded with a Pacific Northwest lodge interior, stop by the photo exhibit off the lobby and then head to the bar where you can sip a cold one while watching boat traffic on Elliott Bay. The AAA 4-Diamond rated hotel is at 2411 Alaskan Way, 206-728-7000.  In fact, if you want to stay on the waterfront, the waterfront rooms here also have spectacular views.

A Luxury Hotel. . .that floats!

Maybe they could be called motorized hotels . . .
Universally called “cruise ships”, enthusiasts of this mode of travel, don’t give much thought to the hotel operation – you select a cabin, or it is selected for you; you like it or you don’t.  Simple as that? Not really.

We really hadn’t given much thought to the hotel side of cruising until we crossed the Atlantic Ocean and had the opportunity to meet and visit with the person who was responsible for the hotel side of the Celebrity Solstice. 

Our Hotel Director Sue Richardson, who hails from the market town of Stamford, England, after earning her Hotel Management degree, began her career at sea in 1988 as Chief Purser and Hotel Director with Royal Caribbean International.

Today her resume would make for a tropical sea novel or movie:  she lived for three years on Bermuda managing a  Boutique Hotel Resort, has worked on a 126-meter (410+ feet) private yacht, and spent three years as a hotel director for Silversea Cruises prior to heading to Celebrity.

“It’s a lifestyle – not just a job or career,” she said.

On our cruise, it seemed that she, just like the Captain, managed to be everywhere, no matter what the time of day. She’s pictured above with Paul Baya, our Cruise Director, during a welcome cocktail party for returning guests. Below she, and other senior staff members, welcomed us back to the ship after a stop in Lisbon.

Over morning coffee with me one sea day, she described her work life as 24/7 during the four to four and a half months she’s on the ship. On the flip side, she is off the ship for an equal length of time, which allows her to pursue educational and travel opportunities and spend, perhaps more, quality time with family and friends than some,who have traditional 8 – 5 jobs and weekends off.

Just like land-based hotel directors, she manages a team of people who are responsible for the operation and upkeep of  accommodations -- in this case -- the 1,235 cabins and 56 suites on the ship, and for keeping the guests happy and entertained.

“It is all about service,” she said, “Service is a feeling. What was the feeling about the experience?”

Judging by the number of returning guests on this cruise – 613 people who had logged more than 10 Celebrity cruises – Richardson and her staff (and their counterparts on the line’s other 10 ships) seem to have nailed it.

Note: The cabin photo above was our balcony room on a Holland America cruise ship.

Travel Photo Thursday: Greek Memories

While sipping wine last night with friends who are in the planning stages of a trip to Greece, we started telling stories about our travels there. . .

Today I happened upon Travel Photo Thursday which is making its way through the travel blogosphere world. That, combined with last night’s conversation, sent me off to the Greek photo file where I found this one I took on the island of Naxos.  I think it’s time we start talking Greek travel again as well. . .


If you want to see others participating in Travel Photo Thursday, check out  Budget Travelers Sandbox