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mchookem

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by mchookem

  1. lol feeling a little bit of that^ in my thread, people got me laying awake at night questioning whether i need to piss my dad off by refusing to do/see everything he wants 😄 Grand Canyon is absolutely worth it. one of our 'way finding' trips last spring included spontaneous detours to Sedona, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley/Valley of the Gods, with an overnight in Moab. i couldn't drive much thru Utah bc the landscape gave me extreme vertigo, that's how incredible it was...and we just drove by Arches and Canyonlands! 😮 i do know it gets brutally hot in the summer. pictures of that part of the country don't do it justice, i spent most of the drive just gaping out the window going 'wow! oh wow! omg wow!' 😁 we've also spent significant time in NM... absolutely agree Santa Fe > Taos. Bandalier National Monument is a great daytrip out of SF. and of course, i live in Denver now...RMNP is do-not-miss in the summer. def an all day trip though, i wouldn't try to drive farther than Denver after a visit. we went three times last summer and i was able to buy admission tickets at 5pm the day before every time. my only caution would be drive as much as you want, just make sure you leave time to actually see/do. and make sure you account for the toll elevation will take on you, particularly at RMNP...we had to stop in Grand Lakes/Estes and get double espressos for the drive home each time 😁 have fun...we love road trips!
  2. this sounds like an argument that Biden is who the 'most extreme' left loudly want to run, which is just absolutely, patently untrue in every way. thus withers the 'both sides' argument.
  3. yes actually! 👍 i had to force two nights in Kitzigen for that reason lol...he wanted to land and drive straight to Berchtesgaden! 😮 uh, no, we're gonna chill for two nights and a full day first and get our heads straight 😊 and we have no itinerary for Kitzigen beyond where they lived and a couple guesthouses that he remembers that are all apparently still there. and where i was born maybe 😊 if at any point anybody is feeling too worn down...we have at least one 'spare' day at every location (except Berchtesgaden) where one (or all) of us can just rest. i guess to be clear...mate and i do normally prefer to do as everyone is encouraging, make the most out of savoring local ambiance, often off the beaten path, even traveling the US. we also enjoy 'way finding' now that we don't really have to stick to a schedule (we did a couple 2-week road trips last spring like that and they were awesome). but this is def more of a 'we've never been to any of these incredible/historical/ancient places so let's see as much as we reasonably can while we're here' kind of trip as opposed to a 'chill out and relax, man' kind of trip 😁 we can do the former, later. maybe. ha. 🤔😊 also...i just went over the final lodging/driving plan with him tonight and he was still saying 'so that's only 12 days, we still have 2 more...' i'm telling y'all he's hyperactive! 😄 my strategy is also to only pre-book things that are likely to sell out (dinner cruise, Louvre, trains, etc), as we're gonna rollover to the high season by the third week and i know things get booked.
  4. well sure, i def appreciate the sentiment...but again, dad's the one insistent on hitting all these initial stops *shrug* i actually talked to him just this morning about it a bit, the stamina issue, and he was literally 'i feel great, my leg is a thousand times better, i can't wait!' i mean he's a dad, what are you gonna do? lol and once we separate from them in Paris our pace is gonna drop significantly. in both Florence and Rome we're less than a 10 minute walk from the train stations, so we should be able to get settled pretty easily. we've got sufficient 'rest days' for ourselves. and once we hit Ireland we're basically just gonna be chilling and catching up with our friends, i'm not anticipating 'going and doing' much there beyond visiting some pubs 🙂 the main thing i keep thinking about is by week three i know i am really gonna be missing my bed! 🛌 😄
  5. eh, it's really not that bad, especially once we hit France. i 100% agree with the sentiment and as usual i've built in several 'down days' with no set itinerary just to be able to relax and leisurely absorb some time in various locs. i mean we're spending nearly a week on the coast for example 😎 honestly a lot of the "packed" part in the beginning is bc my dad had this huge list of places he remembers/ wants to see...i actually had to push back on some of his spots bc he was just like 'and we can go here and then go here and then here...' he's pretty hyperactive for a 76 year old! i had to point out that all those places included travel time so just spending the night somewhere was useless if we arrive at 6pm and have to leave at 8am the next morning! 😝 (only place we're doing that is Berchtesgaden bc it's only 15 mins from Eagle's Nest.) as for the basics of seeing so many places...well that's what happens when you've never been before and may realistically never go again 😊 having said that... if there's a spot that we just fall in love with, if we decide we can handle the long haul travel to get there (that's me and my plane claustrophobia 😒), then husband and i could possibly consider going back alone. heck, our friends are planning to be on the coast of France in the fall, and if the prices are similar to what they are in the spring we may just go back then! 😊
  6. ok...we did add 3 nights in Dublin, just to see our friends, but we're skipping any substantial layover in Amsterdam. i also split up our time in Italy evenly, 3 nights each Florence and Rome. the only one night stay we have is Berchtesgaden (i couldn't talk dad out of that 😜). every place else will be at least two nights, mostly three, and four in Paris itself. i always try to plan in time to just breath a little and enjoy some local ambiance. our longest day in the car will be the slog across France, Strasbourg to Normandie - that looks like it will take us 9-10 hours so we'll get a super early start. then 6-7 hours Brest to Paris about six days later. otherwise the driving will be broken up pretty manageable i think, we'll have at least 3 drivers. some activities already planned: Dachau and Eagle's Nest Segway tour of Strasbourg Mont Saint-Michel Dinner cruise on Seine with family our first night in Paris - our last night before they head back, seemed like an easy way for my sister to see a lot of the sites pretty quickly. she didn't even want to visit Paris initially...afraid of crowds, bed bugs, mean French people, etc. 😆 Secret Food Tour in Paris - husband and i will do this the next day, much excite! 😁 Chianti region wine tour from Florence - just a half day, enough to get a taste. got all our flights booked...my next booking will be the high speed train Paris>Florence then Florence>Rome. using The Man in Seat 61 to figure that out... can't remember if i found that resource here or elsewhere 🤔 but he's awesome! those tickets aren't on sale yet... still mulling general ideas to fill in time in the cities (Paris, Florence, Rome, Dublin), obvious sites notwithstanding. haven't decided on the Louvre...smaller spectacular museums sound pretty awesome 🙂 making note of some restaurant recs in the Italy/France threads for sure. this thing pretty quickly (and easily!) went from a two week/two country tour to a 3 1/2 week/5 country journey! i mean i guess that's what retirement's for 😊
  7. haha pretty much...husband is definitely Clark-ish 😄 i mean technically i haven't left...once i got brought here 😋
  8. haha well yeah, instead of thread hopping i thought i'd just do my own, as i'm sure i will have lots of questions from more seasoned international travels. so we are pretty frequent/seasoned travelers, all over the US but have never ventured much beyond many trips all over Mexico and the Caribbean. i was born in Germany, visited Canada in my early 20s, got married in Jamaica, and Hawaii is about the farthest we've ever been from home. it took years of discussion, some major physical injuries/setbacks for my dad, and my sister getting over her general fears (and finally getting a passport!) to motivate everyone to pull the trigger and put this trip together. anyway...the last half of the trip is still being planned, but so far we have nailed down 8-10 days starting mid-May. gonna be a lot of driving thru the countryside! 😁 dad is focused on nostalgia and WWII sites, i'm ready to really dig into France...and spend some time on the beach! (yes i know it will be cold, don't care, i'm better at beach than Ken!) i speak some and we are hooking up with our French exchange student on the coast while there. my sister knows nothing about anywhere and has barely traveled domestically, she is leaving all plans up to me and dad. and my mate wanted to add Italy (which includes a train trip through Switzerland), so that's on the agenda so far... Frankfurt Kitzigen/Wurzburg (my parents lived here for 2 years) Berchtesgaden Heidelberg/Strasbourg Normandie Brest/Brittany Paris...this is where we'll part ways with the fam, they'll head back to Frankfurt with the car and after 4 nights we'll continue on via train to... Florence Rome and then maybe...Ireland? 🤔 that new twist is our BFFs from Austin 'moved' to Europe back in November - they are doing this 'slow travel' thing, moving every 6-8 weeks or so, for at least a year. they've been in Cyprus and will be migrating to Greece and then Italy in the next few months...but they have to leave the Schengen zone about two weeks before we'll get to Rome! so they will be in Great Britain for the summer, Ireland in June...and are encouraging us to add on a stop there. which is doable i think. i mean, why not? i've been reading both the France and Italy threads for recommendations and advice, but as i'm exploring the options for a Rome>Dublin detour, a question came up that prompted me to go ahead and make this thread... is a 7 (or 10) hour layover in Amsterdam something that could be fun? like, leaving the airport and checking out some of the city? does mchookem want to go into Amsterdam and maybe sample some local, uh, flavor? yes, yes she does. but again...we haven't done a ton of international travel, definitely not airports as layovers between two different countries, in and out of EU, etc. this will be during the middle of the day so everything should be open. i don't know about things like customs/passport control in/out, security, luggage (do we have to claim and store or will it just go to next flight?? transportation to city (Uber? taxi). anyway...please feel free to offer any advice, suggestions, etc., and forgive any stupid questions. i do consider us pretty well-seasoned travelers, we are smart and know a lot of dos/don'ts, we particularly enjoy visiting cities with lots of people/activity, i do meticulous research and am honestly a 5-star trip planner...but obviously this one is out of my comfort zone. so fuck it, we're all getting older, and this is what we worked for 😊
  9. wait...i thought there were two west Texas billionaires steering Texas into the right-wing theocratic abyss?? 🤔
  10. i have no idea what half the posts in this thread are even talking about 😐 but i still love Deadpool so i hope the movie isn't quite so...
  11. same. i never thought S2 was as bad as folks here trashed it. of course...Taylor Kitsch, sooo...
  12. ive been thinking about this one for a couple years, i'd be interested in hearing how it is.
  13. i mean it is actually ironic considering we have a 14 page thread on this site with post after post after post after post of stereotypical MAGA-types (politicians, 'christian' pastors, law enforcement, etc) touching children and worse. so, you know, at least teach your kids to watch their bunghole when you take them to the gun range or church.
  14. he forgot Walmart and grocery store.
  15. since this trip is now covering four countries (Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy) and potentially one more (Ireland, we have friends doing 'slow travel' for a year who have to leave the Schengen area for a few months so are spending the summer in GB and will be in Dublin when we finish in Italy, debating popping over there before we head home)...should i start a thread? 🤔 i'm not a big thread starter but it might be easier than thread hopping...maybe?
  16. so far i've booked a renovated seaside farmhouse literally a 15 minute walk across the road from Utah beach memorial. this will put us within two hours (or much less) from the American cemetery, Omaha beach, Bayeux, La Cite' de la Mer, Mont Saint-Michel, and who knows where else. we're doing 3 nights here, seems like a good place to use as a home base for a few days and omg is it lovely!! 🤩 dad and sister did finally get their roundtrip tickets, yay! 😜 having a hell of a time getting them to engage in actual itinerary planning, no surprise 🙄 so i'm now working on the first week or so in Germany by myself...overnight spots likely Kitzigen/Wurzburg, Munich (Dachau), Stuttgart/Heidelberg... then crossover to France at Strasbourg and head west. do we have a Germany thread too?? i'll look...i'm open to any suggestions on any of the above, or that general region (south/southwest) of Germany. i've got a few old ass castles on the list 😁 but if there's something we shouldn't miss in the area lmk! dad keeps talking about the Eagle's Nest, which should be reopened for the season by the time we're there. it's...something. but given the map and our timeline, i think we'll let them do the swing over there after they drop us off, when they are on their way back to Frankfurt. i mean i think i'd prefer an extra day or two of museums and delicious food with an evening stroll around the Champs Elysee to seeing Hitler's hideyhole at this point 😊
  17. our Texas boy seems to have hit his stride of late, good for him! 🤘
  18. the fact they had to rely almost exclusively on nothing but their eyeballs 👀 for just about everything - formation with their fellow bombers, attacking fighters, navigation, identifying targets, hell even the landing gear coming down successfully! - that's pretty insane to think about. it's amazing they were ever successful!
  19. i love Deadpool/Ryan Reynolds and have seen both of the previous movies. and i saw the original XMen way back whenever it first came out, so i'm aware of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. but as i've mentioned here before... that's about it for me and Marvel (actually think i saw the first Spiderman, first Ironman, then agreed to accompany my mate to Wakanda Forever to be nice lol). anyways, just not my scene, man. so i hope this one doesn't require the full breadth of MCU knowledge in order to enjoy it! 🙄
  20. i think he literally hates Obama so much and is so obsessed with Obama making fun of him at the 2015 WCD that in his mind he has convinced himself he actually did beat Obama.
  21. yeah, don't be dissing Tool motherucker!
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