March 31, 2015

Elisa's Daily Scoop

Travelin' Tuesday: Spotlight on Krakow, Poland Itinerary

Welcome home Tanya!!  After a 9-day trip to The Azores, Tanya is finally back home in the States!!

We certainly have a great deal to do this week...Reviewing a few of our upcoming "cousins" trips and finalizing our bookings for accommodations, rail tickets, itineraries and restaurant selections.

I took the lead, if you remember from last Travelin' Tuesday, on putting together our itinerary for two of the cities on Tanya and Elisa's Milestone Birthday Eastern Europe Rail Trip.  

Here is our itinerary, thus far,  for Prague:
Day 1
* Arrive Prague via U.S.
* Hotel Check in
* Climb Old Town Hall Tower 
* Watch Astronomical Clock on the hour
* Charles Bridge and New Town 
- Church of Lady Victorious
- Walk around Mala Strana (Old Town over Charles Bridge)
- Dinner in Old Town Square

Day 2
* Prague Castle 
- St. George's Basilica
- St. Vitus Cathedral
- Wenceslas Chapel
- Bell Tower
* Lunch Cruise on Vltava River
* Lesser Town 
- Petrin Tower
* Lobkowicz Palace (2 mile walk from Prague Castle)
* Dinner

Day 3
Wenceslas Square & Market
Lunch
Relaxing Day
Estates Opera House: Don Giovanni

---

KRAKOW, POLAND

Rynek Glowny (Main Market Square), Krakow, Poland (courtesy Krakow-info.com)

This week, I would like to share with you, our itinerary for Krakow, Poland.  

We will be leaving Prague on Day 3 of our trip and heading by rail to Krakow.  Our stay in this Polish city will be for 3 days and 3 nights.  
Here will be staying in a private residence. 


So, let's take a look at what we are planning to do:

Bonerowski Palace, Krakow, Poland (courtesy viator.com)

Day 1
* Rynek Glowny ("Main Market Square")
- Wawel Cathedral
-  St. Mary's Basilica (plan to be there at 11.50am Mon-Fri when The Veit Stoss altarpiece is unveiled).
- The Cloth Hall
- The Rynek Underground (get tickets in advance as only 300 people are allowed in at a time)
* Dinner 
* Bonerowski Palace - Chopin Concert

Auschwitz Museum (courtesy thejc.com)

Day 2
* Auschwitz-Birchenau State Museum
(this is a 50 mile trip outside of Krakow, so we will have to get a one-day tour to this destination)
* Weiliczka Salt Mine
Private Tour to Auschwitz & Salt Mine

Day 3
* Wawel Royal Castle
* Lunch
* Oscar Schindler Factory
* Jewish District (Kazimierz)

We will get into greater detail about each of the places on our itinerary in future Travelin' Tuesday features!!

Things that we still need to finalize for this trip include:

* Book Rail tickets between each city
* Finalize Accommodations for Vienna 
(the private residence is being held for us, we just have to finalize the booking)
* Select Restaurants in each city and book necessary reservations 
* Purchase necessary tickets for 
> Opera in Prague (Don Giovanni)
> Opera in Vienna (TBD)
> Vlatava River Lunch Cruise in Prague
> Chopin Concert at Bonerowski Castle, Krakow
> Book Tour for Auschwitz/Birchenau Museum and Weiliczka Salt Mine in Poland.

Stay tuned for next week when we feature our Itinerary for Budapest, Hungary!!

Rant Time...
Nothing aggravates me more than booking air travel in advance to save time and money, only to have the airlines change everything on me!!

Months ago I purchased round trip tickets for me, Gianna & Kelsey to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for our Yellowstone Trip.  I got a relatively good rate too - $489 on Delta.  

Well, with only a few weeks to go, I am notified that our flights have been changed and instead of the one-stop (which I wasn't all that crazy about to begin with), the times have changed and now there will be two connections!  Really?? With 2 kids?

So, per the advice of my long-time, and well-trusted travel agent, Stephen, I decided to cancel out the flights and re-book, not on Delta, but instead on United in order to keep the fight to one connection. Not only are the times much later on the outbound fight, which gets us in much later, but the fare is now $639 per round trip ticket!

I am really ticked off to say the least!! This is the part of travel I don't enjoy!
Ok folks, end of rant.

I attended an Easter prayer service this morning prepared by Gianna's grade.  

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Hope your day is a great one!! 

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop

Right back in the swing of things!

I'm baaaack!

Arrived back in the OC early yesterday afternoon, and came bearing gifts! 
I'm pretty sure that's what little Chaplin looks most forward to upon each of my returns! 

As I handed out each of the well received gifts, I shared heartfelt stories about my trip, and took a peek at my travel calendar trying to figure out when I can squeeze in a trip back to the Azores!
Taking the kids along with me for the next fun adventure!

Yes everyone, I know I just got back, but these islands really make an impact on me and I can't stop thinking about the amazing time that was spent! 

Who knew?!

There are certain places that I travel to, where once is enough - and that one time might be magnificent, but I don't feel the need to plan another trip back to the same place.

There are sooooooo many places to go and the year is only so long! 
I do the best that I can, with trying to keep a balance for the kids at home as well. 

In 2014 I traveled 21.5 weeks! 
And I know that I could do more...
but I would screw up the schedule that I somehow manage to still balance over here!

Plus I already have so many new adventures that I want to go on, and so many places that have already captured a piece of me that I must always return to! 

So obviously the more places that go on my "return to" list, the crazier my travel calendar becomes! 
But it's a good type of crazy!

JSYK - yesterday I managed to add the pictures to last weeks TBT (Throwback Thursday) 
"Special Treats for a Swiss Train Ride"  
and I took the kids to their choir rehearsal...Prepping for Easter Sunrise Service!

During our drive I had asked them if they would like to go to the Azores - I got a unanimous YES from both Dominic & Cosette! 
I chuckled just a bit, saying that they haven't even seen the pictures yet. 
They claimed that they don't have to and that they already know that'll be an adventure! 

I thought that perhaps I should at least ask if they'd prefer to go to the Azores next spring instead of Italy? 
And I got a unanimous NO. 

Ok then...if it's possible I'll just do both and if I can do both, then we can also plan meet Elisa and gang who already have plans of being on the mainland of Portugal with Denise and her family next summer! How freakin' AWESOME would that be?!?!

And if not then we'll just set voyage back to the Azores in 2017. There. Out of my mind and into the hands of the universe!

Well, it is Travelin Tuesday and I have of course been talking about travel! 
I would like for you to take a looksie at Elisa's side of the page. She has started our itinerary for Tanya's and Elisa's Milestone Birthday Eastern European Rail Trip and I'm in love with it so far! 
It's exactly how I would've planned it and filled our days. Perfect!

Another travel addition is that Dave C has decided to join us in Yellowstone! 
He certainly doesn't travel much, and has never been. I think he's pretty excited!

I think he made the decision to come when he decided that he is NOT coming back east to do any visiting with us this summer.

His one way ticket has been purchased, and he will meet the kids and I in Portland on our way out to road trip it to Jackson Hole and to meet Elisa and the girls! 
He will then drive back with us to SoCal at the end of our trip.

I'll be working on the itinerary for the beginning of that trip today, lots of scrumptious vegan food for us while in Portland! 
I can't wait to show the kids the menus online and them take the kids to eat at these places! 
I love that these kiddos are foodies like their Mama!

A few other loose ends that I have to tie up are: 
Booking our Las Vegas accommodations for my Moab and Southwestern National Park Road Trip


And here's my little rant:
I had worked out all of the preliminary plans for my Anniversary Trip to Puerto Rico, Cruisin' the Southern Caribbean Islands and going to Miami and Dallas - I know it sounds kinda like a weird trip! LOL

But the Miami and Dallas part were added for me to go visit 2 of the 7 Baseball Stadiums that I still would have not visited yet at that point (right now it is 8, but since we are going to watch a Toronto Blue Jays game in July on our 
Cousins Niagara Falls/Toronto Road Trip it'll be down to 7 by August). 


So I'm ranting about the fact that the MLB has changed the Miami Marlins schedule and they will now not be home during the time that I was going to get tickets for a game. UGH. Totally bummed.

Ok, I'm gonna run...it's boogie time!

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Ciao 4 Now,
-T