 Tanya's Daily Scoop Covering the West Coast & the World CURRENTLY IN: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |  Elisa's Daily Scoop Covering Long Island and NYC's Outer Boroughs CURRENTLY IN: LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK |
| Is it already Sunday? The weekend is going by too FAST! Is it already 4 days until Thanksgiving? OMG I haven't finished my menu or started shopping! Is it already only 33 days until Christmas? How on EARTH?!! Yet here we are and those are the actual countdowns. Along with planning the menu and working on the various lists for one of my longest days of the year, not to mention the only shopping event that intimidates me, there is of course Family Drama! Ugh! I know that Thanksgiving family drama goes side by side with Thanksgiving itself. I didn't think it had to be a thing if you live with these people all year long! But I guess that some people just need to bring the drama around this tie year after year.  The holiday and all the work that comes along with it will be here with or without the drama. So the show must go on. My morning was a bit busy as I had to drop Dominic off at work and then head to the airport to go pick up Cosette. Then back to pick up Dominic and then while I was planning on taking Cosette to work, I had asked if Dave C. could pick up the slack since I was having a few computer issues that I needed to take care of. I'm actually quite relieved that since last night I was able to clear up a ton of space on my laptop - resulting in it behaving like new once again... Did I mention that I also have a brand new laptop that I hardly ever pull out of it's case... Yup just one of those odd Tanyaisms. I was also able to finally back up my phone, which I hadn't been able to do in a while because of the space that was lacking on my laptop. I'm glad to share that al my electronics are now running quite smooth and efficiently. I've gotta get back to my plans for a vegan feast on Thanksgiving. I'm sure I'll also be semi distracted with travel day dreaming about the future cousins trip with Elisa!!! Read more about our ideas below. Ciao 4 now, -Travelin' Tanya | Sunday Wishes to you! Just a typical Fall day here on Long Island - all the leaves in huge piles and the trees are getting pretty close to being bare. Drove Gianna to church for choir this morning and then I took my 2-1/2 mile walk this morning. I'll tell you - it felt like more - maybe because it's a bit chilly. But, nonetheless, it was very invigorating and energizing! So, last night, Tanya and I were chatting about how much we both miss traveling together. We were reminiscing about past trips we've taken and giggling about some silly trip memories, both together and separately. I guess our many hours of working together over the phone yesterday, in front of our respective computers on our NEW Travein' Cousins Rumble Channel and sorting through so many of our Vlogs made our desire to travel together even greater!! Clearly, the past year (2020) has been a great wash out in so many ways for we cousins to partake in some travel fun together. Between me moving and doing months of construction on my house, rendering me a bit short on cash and the whole Covid situation, we are jumping out of our skin to get something on the calendar!! We have shared a few of the possibilities below that we are in discussions about. You'll, of course, be the first to know our final plans as we solidify things during the next few months! MY NEW BINGE OBSESSION So, last week I finished watching the full first season of Hunters , the fictitious series that follows a diverse group of Nazi hunters living in 1977 New York City who discover that Nazi war criminals are conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the U.S. I greatly enjoyed it but i felt that the season finale was a bit - well, hokey - but trust me, it will not stop me from watching again if there is a season 2!  As the last episode ended, I was about to go into withdrawal, when I spied the thumbnail for another series called Sneaky Pete. What caught my eye was the main actor, Giovanni Ribisi, who was in a number of acclaimed movies back in the 1990's and I hadn't heard from him in a while. Upon further reading of the series description, I noticed that the show starred Bryan Cranston (of Breaking Bad fame, and his critically acclaimed performance as Lyndon B. Johnson in All The Way on Broadway in 2014 (which I'm happy to say, I saw and was blown away by his performance!). Back to Sneaky Pete - The series follows Marius Josipović (Giovanni Ribisi), a released convict who adopts the identity of his cell mate, Pete Murphy, to avoid his past life. The pilot debuted in 2015, and it was followed by a full series wit the first season premiering in 2017. After 3 seasons, it was cancelled in 2019. I'm currently on Season 3, and really enjoying it! But, since I will be completing it soon, I'll need to search for my new binge obsession! Signing off, -Travelin' Elisa xoxo |
Next Possible Cousins' Travel Adventure
Nothing is more exciting and fulfilling to your favorite Travelin' Cousins than embarking on journeys together! Since our very first Cousins travel adventure in 2013 to Gettysburg and Williamsburg to our National Parks trips, USA road trips and European excursions to London and Eastern Europe, and so much more we never tire of globetrotting.
We are now exploring a few new travel adventure options to add to the "Elisa and Tanya Travel Calendar!" Take a gander...
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EASTERN EUROPE RAIL TRIP 2.0 - Option A - Russia, Ukraine, Romania & Bulgaria
One of our most beloved trips was our 2015 Rail Trip throughout Eastern Europe. Beginning in Prague, Czech Republic, traveling north to Krakow, Poland, then south to Budapest, Hungary, northeast to Bratislava, Slovakia and west to Vienna, Austria, we "railed" our way throughout, sightseeing, vegan eating and creating tons of memories.
One possibility is to do a second Eastern European Rail to other destinations in the region. This new trip would include a visit to Moscow, Russia, traveling south to several cities in the Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. From picturesque castles to painted monasteries and historic centres, this region has so much to see.
Such a trip would require a great deal of planning and coordination of train rides, day trips and accommodations and pulling it all together into a cohesive and personalized travel itinerary.
EASTERN EUROPE RAIL TRIP 2.0 - Option A - Russia, Ukraine, Romania & Bulgaria
One of our most beloved trips was our 2015 Rail Trip throughout Eastern Europe. Beginning in Prague, Czech Republic, traveling north to Krakow, Poland, then south to Budapest, Hungary, northeast to Bratislava, Slovakia and west to Vienna, Austria, we "railed" our way throughout, sightseeing, vegan eating and creating tons of memories.
One possibility is to do a second Eastern European Rail to other destinations in the region. This new trip would include a visit to Moscow, Russia, traveling south to several cities in the Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. From picturesque castles to painted monasteries and historic centres, this region has so much to see.
Such a trip would require a great deal of planning and coordination of train rides, day trips and accommodations and pulling it all together into a cohesive and personalized travel itinerary.
EASTERN EUROPE RAIL TRIP 2.0 - Option B - Ukraine, Russia and Georgia
Another rail trip option, this route would allow us to spend more time exploring the Ukraine and Russia and added to the itinerary would be the country of Georgia. Formerly part of the Soviet Union and located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, Georgia is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the east by Azerbaijan, and to the south by Armenia and Turkey. In 1991, the country seceded from the Soviet Union and tourism is a growing part of this small nation's economy. What's more, we cousins love the fact that Georgia has more than 2,000 mineral springs, over 12,000 historical and cultural monuments, four of which are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi and Gelati Monastery, and historical monuments of Mtskheta, and Upper Svaneti.
Once again, this is a trip whereby we would need to create our own personalized itinerary and coordinate rail transportation and accommodations.
TRANS-SIBERIAN RAIL TRIP
This is perhaps the most upscale possibility for our next Cousins' trip. Boarding a train on the longest railway in the world - the Trans-Siberian Railway - would allow us the best possible ways to explore Russia and Asia. the Trans-Siberian Railway is one of the best ways to explore Russia and Asia! Such a trip would allow us to get a "taste of Russian, Mongolian and Chinese culture, heritage and spirit, see the imposing Urals, breathtaking Lake Baikal, inimitable Ulaanbaatar, and ancient Chinese provinces," according to TravelRussia.com.
There are a number of possible routes, depending on the specific destinations we wish to visit and countryside we would like to see. Such a trip is fairly extravagant and quite expensive. But, from what I have read, it is the stuff that trips of a lifetime are made. It also happens to be all-inclusive in terms of a full itinerary, accommodations and food options.
There you have it folks - the three possible options Elisa and Tanya are considering for our next trip together!
You are probably wondering when this wild excursion will be - well, that is also something we are looking at - not only in terms of which year, but also the time of year. So, STAY TUNED for more!!!
-Elisa & Tanya
