| Booking Travel  Tanya's Daily Scoop CURRENTLY IN: ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Hello Folks, How has your week been? I can't really complain, except maybe for the 2 horrible losses that we (the Yankees) had playing against the Baltimore Orioles. I managed to squeeze out some time during Tuesday afternoon to join Jet and Chaplin (and Galileo) at a local farmers market. This small market was held at Irvine Park, in Orange, CA. The three of us strolled and browsed about; Chaplin had some El Salvodorian Pupusas for lunch from one of her favorite vendors, we stopped by the Coconut Milk stand - which is arguably the BEST Coconut Milk you will ever find! And before leaving we also grabbed some sweet, tree ripened and fresh picked stone fruit to bring home with us.  It's a small market, but full of great finds (c)travelincousins.com  Such a refreshing drink (c)travelincousins.com  Look at these great flavors (c)travelincousins.com  Look at this amazing basket collection of fruit - yes an avocado is a fruit (c)travelincousins.com Soooooo, you know I just can't help it - Book Future Travel. I just have this ever nagging itch to book trips. So that is exactly what I've been doing... You might be asking "What's new and when?" Costa Rica - Aside from it being such a beautiful country. Honestly, pictures just do not, do any justice. Ever since last week, I just could not stop thinking about it. And besides, the pictures that I had taken during my last visit are actually not even of the greatest quality. I was between preferred cameras and had one that I absolutely did not like. But I guess you can say that at least I do have some photographic memories.  Costa Rica (c)travelincousins.com  Costa Rica (c)travelincousins.com I also added on to our existing Cactus League Spring Training Trip to Phoenix and tacked on a few nights in Sedona. While the name might indicate "SPRING", most of it actually takes place in the winter, in the month of February and March. With that being said I am hoping for some snow in Sedona! I've only ever seen photographs of snow in Sedona and it looks gorgeous...but really, when does Sedona not look amazing?!  Ever Beautiful Sedona (c)travelincousins.com  Laying out Sedona style (c)travelincousins.com And another one that I am also looking to book is a wee little trip to good ol London, but first I have to find out if our trip to Vietnam is confirmed or cancelled. I will get this information tomorrow! But in the meantime, please check out Elisa's blog to have a peek at something very exciting... A Travelin' Cousins Trip!! I'M SO EXCITED, CANNOT WAIT TO TRAVEL WITH ELISA AGAIN! On this exciting note, I am about to sign off and say Good Night. Ciao 4 Now, -Travelin' Tanya | The Great River Road Trip Plan  Elisa's Daily Scoop CURRENTLY IN: LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK Howdy guys!! Happy Friday.  Well, we find ourselves at the end of, what was a super sunny and warm week here on Long Island!! Just loved it!! This past week, Tanya and I began to lament about how long it's been since we had been on a trip together. In fact, the last trip we took together was our New England Lighthouse Road Trip in the summer of 2021.  In Mystic Connecticut at Mystic Seaport Lighthouse (circa 2021) (c)travelincousins.com I still can't believe it was three years ago, but be that as it may, while we love our "family" trips with all the kids, there is nothing like when Travelin' Tanya and Travelin' Elisa hit the road alone. We do more, see more and don't have to contend with a variety of opinions and complaints. We are very compatible travelers! It's hard to fathom that our last MAJOR "Elisa & Tanya" trip was in June/July of 2015 when we ventured around Europe on our European Rail Trip where we visited Prague, Czech Republic - Krakow, Poland - Budapest, Hungary - Bratislava, Slovakia and Vienna, Austria.  At the Astronomical Clock in Prague, Czech Republic (c)travelincousins.com  Castle Hill, a Unesco World Heritage site, is located 170 meters above the Danube and is At Castle Hill, the home of Budapest's most important medieval monuments and museums. (c)travelincousins.com Sooo, our conversation basically consisted of us brainstorming - "Where do these two cousins go next?" Well, you should first know that Tanya asked me if I'd like to join her for a Mini Excursion "across the pond" to London for a few days of afternoon tea and sightseeing this Fall, OMG - I wish I could!!! With Kelsey just starting college and mom (me!) having to fork up thousands of dollars in tuition for both girls, I just was unable to take her up on this AMAZING offer!! (Oh and a quick rant - yes, since our divorce, my narcissistic ex-husband has busted my ever loving chops in his refusal to pay for any medical expenses and tuition! After many battles in court, and giving up thousands for not having the stomach (or the money to outlay for more and more legal fees) i decided to call it quits, and pretend he is no longer on this earth and just pay for their tuition myself. In the end, if he does not want to, why should I force him and allow him to have bragging rights! Ok - end of rant) Back to travel talk!!! Soooo - we started brainstorming and thought "Hmmm, what about another US-based road trip?" Of course, there are so many placed to see, but one area of the country that neither of us have spent much time exploring is the center of the country - north to south/south to north - along the Mississippi River! Better known as THE GREAT RIVER ROAD!!  See, originally, Tanya and I had talked about doing the SouthEast - down through North and South Carolina, Georgia - but then last June, I took Kelsey to look at colleges down that way and did a bit of sightseeing and didn't want to do that again so soon. That is when this great idea was hatched and since then (a few days ago) I have been doing lots of research and sharing all of my findings with my dear Cuz. The Great River Road follows the great Mississippi River, which stretches from its headwaters in icy Lake Itasca in Northwestern Minnesota and flows more than 2300 miles (3,700 kilometers) to the Gulf of Mexico. A trip down the Great River Road, is a ride from Minnesota to Louisiana. The scenic route passes through 10 states and hundreds of river towns. The drive takes about 36 hours of straight driving to travel from north to south along the byway. I can assure you that Tanya and I will NOT be driving straight LOL - TOO MUCH TO SEE!! So based on our desire to see as much as we can along what has been arguably said to be the longest and most important scenic byway in America, we will be looking at anywhere from 5 to 10 days, depending on whether we do the entire stretch or we break it up. Still deciding.  The signage for drivers to follow The Great River Road and notable sights along the way (credit:experiencingmississippi.com) According to Experience Mississippi River "The Great River Road is a well-marked series of different roads and highways that roughly follow the winding course of the Mississippi River. All Along the Great River Road, travelers will find white signs displaying the green pilot’s wheel logo. The familiar pilot’s wheel symbol denotes which roads are part of the designated route." How amazing is that!!! So we are still discussing and planning and figuring out WHEN we will go. There is a strong possibility that this can be slated in for Spring 2025! And just because Tanya and I have not had a trip to speak of since Summer 2021, doesn't mean that we don't have upcoming plans to be together. During Tanya's East Coast visit next month, we will be taking a little day trip together up to Orange County, New York to visit Tanya's Aunt Michelle (my first cousin), who I haven't personally seen in decades!! I'm sure we will find some vegan foodie destinations along the way as well as have a chance to firm up some travel plans!! I hope you enjoyed Tanya's column today where she detailed many of her future travel bookings on the horizon!! Till next time, - Travelin' Elisa |
