Boston & Mt. Chocorua

I am currently sitting on an airplane (using my FREE Gogo Wi-Fi courtesy of my US Bank Travel VISA). I'm on my way to Boston. I will board a bus and make my way north to West Ossipee, New Hampshire. My girlfriend Jackie is celebrating the completion of her 50th time circling the earth (or is it 49 when you turn 50?). Regardless, I'm looking forward to the celebration overlooking Mt. Chocorua.

On Saturday I will return to Boston where I will get a few hours to catch up with my girlfriend Mary. I cannot wait to see her! Our last connection was during my trip to New England in August of 2016.

My flight only cost $107, which was a good excuse for a short weekend away with friends.

Annelies drove me to the airport this morning, which seems a bit surreal. She passed her road test yesterday and the first time she drove alone was on her return home from the airport today. She made it.

This is a big deal. HUGE. Passing that road test gave each of us a bit of independence yesterday. I'm so damn proud of her.

Annelies and Rae Ann

Annelies Driving for the First Time Alone

Final: Cancun 2018

This will be my final post for Cancun 2018. I am home. Same shoes...same day...different footing...

Despite the adjustment to our schedule, and a few extra dollars added to the trip's budget, I had an excellent time. Sheldon was a great travel mate. He poured over the one map we were given at our resort (which no one read but the two of us). He loved to plan out the day with me, which consisted of which restaurant we would eat at, which lounge chairs we would plop our butts into and our drink choice for the day.

We stayed at GR Caribe by Solaris for the first few days (all-inclusive) and Oleo a couple doors down, via Airbnb, the last couple (had an $80/day all-inclusive option we did not buy). Both were great and I would recommend. A bit different, but both lovely.

Both are walking distance to Navios, a spectacular restaurant on the lagoon. Wow...good food...great scenery...and a lovely setting.

Watching the sunrise, and sometimes the sunset, is one of my favorite things to do while at the beach. We caught it many mornings during this trip, so I'm leaving this as my last thought.

My happy place...

Thanks for following me friends. Get out there, even if it is a stay-cation near your home...happy travels! - Rae Ann

Statistics:

• Countries: Two (2)
• Inches of snow we saw fall: 0
• Interest in tracking statistics: Zero
• Page views: 48,126

Day Five: BIG Delay

Sheldon and I were suppose to fly back to Minneapolis today. We are still in Cancun.

As I mentioned in my previous post it has been snowing in Minnesota. Well, I am fairly confident this will be a snow storm everyone will remember because they were up to fifteen (15) inches in most parts of the twin cities. Just crazy.

Saturday I called Sun Country knowing all the flights out of Cancun were cancelled that day. The weather experts said the snow was going to continue into Sunday, when our flight was scheduled, so we thought we would avoid an overnight stay in the airport and grab a Monday flight. I must have dialed the Sun Country phone number a hundred times before getting through the "all lines are busy" message. After finally getting through I was on hold for over an hour-and-a-half. I finally got through to be told the next available flight was Wednesday! Yep...you read that right...Wednesday! We grabbed it. It is now Sunday evening and our original flight has still not left Cancun.

So we found an Airbnb just a couple doors down, reached out to some friends to help with Anna, contacted my manager about extending my vacation through Thursday (who replied "I'm happy to hear your news...") and figured we would just make due with being stuck in Cancun during what I imagine will be a historical April storm in Minnesota. 

Apparently there are some pretty angry people about this whole Sun Country debacle (article from Star Tribune). My Facebook feed is filled with rulers in the snow so we decided to post our own...

We are suffering through the sun, sand and siestas...we will update you as we adjust to this interruption in our plans. 

p.s. I forgot a quote I wanted to add...there is a dress code at most resort restaurants and ours was no different. Sheldon was wearing tight swim trunks one day and as we entered the restaurant for lunch the hostess said "I'm sorry. We have a dress code. You can't come in wearing your underwear." It cracked me up. 

Cancun 2018

This Saturday it is suppose to snow eight (8) to twelve (12) inches in Minnesota. It is April 12th.

I am in Cancun. Thankfully.

I flew here Wednesday with my boyfriend, Sheldon. We are staying through the weekend for nothing more than sun, sand and water. Ok...good food, a few drinks and afternoon siestas will be enjoyed as well. This is the first trip Sheldon and I have taken together although we have been dating for fifteen months. Every new relationship has stressors, but when you date Rae Ann Prasnicki - blogger to Driving the Dream, lover of travel and a truly passionate individual - "passing the travel test" is the biggest stressor of all.

I am happy to announce Sheldon has passed the Travel Test. I am hoping he will show up in my posts on a regular basis.

So I would like to introduce you to Sheldon...he is a kind, loving, funny, patient, cute and wicked smart individual who has taught me our hearts are strong enough to love more than once.

I have been to Cancun many times, and if you are a regular reader you know the beach is my happy place (Bar Harbor, Bournemouth, Portland Maine, Waikiki Beach, Savannah Georgia to name a few).

We arrived Wednesday on the 6:05am flight from Minneapolis. I love that flight because it puts you on the beach by 10:30am. I love Cancun because it is cheap, simple and the setting is perfect for a Minnesota winter get away. And for the doubters out there, yes it is safe.

Here is my travel tip for the day: Tell the resort it is your honeymoon and you may get a lovely upgrade. Second tip: When you forward the email to your teenager with travel logistics make sure to delete the sentence "We are excited to be spending our honeymoon at your resort and would love an ocean view room to enjoy our special week!" or you will most likely put some unnecessary stress on your child.

We are heading out for day three and I do not have much to update because we have done what everyone should do while they are here...enjoying the sun, sand, water and one another.

Ahhhh....

Final Post Europe 2018

I am sitting on a plane making my way back to good old America. This will be my final post for Europe 2018. Wow…what a trip. It was the first time I traveled with Annelies and Paradis to Europe, and I would say it was fantastic. They are perfect traveling companions, and I’m not just saying that because they are my daughters. They are organized, yet relaxed…adaptable, as situations so often require with travel…excellent navigators…constantly aware of their surroundings…open to learning new things…excited about an adventure…and it appears at times they like me. 

Having two full weeks to transverse our way through London and Paris was perfect. We covered a lot of ground during the fourteen days, but it was enjoyable. We took the time to laugh, and explore, and just sit back and relax.

As with every year of my life, 2018 will be filled with change. I do not have any trips booked, but I would like to take my annual journey south while Minnesota remains cold, and I would love, love, love to get to Australia if my budget can handle it. I also have New York Hamilton tickets for August, so that may turn out to be a long weekend this summer. 

For my statistic fans…

• Land Miles: 594
• Airline miles: 8,018
• Steps: 159,680
• Miles: 62.9
• Flights of Stairs: 298
• Chocolate Croissants: 13 (that is just MY count)
• Lost Oyster Cards: 1 (again…me)
• Unscripted Conversations with my Children: 1,292
• Current views: 46,567

Thanks for following me my friends. Each one of you encourages me to keep up on writing this blog during my travels even when I’m bone tired, and I cannot tell you how much I love looking through this thing months and years past each adventure. 

Happy travels!

Blogger in her Happy Place

Day Thirteen: Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Lacock & Bath

Day thirteen of Europe 2018 started very early with a 6:30am departure. We made our way to Victoria Coach Station and got on board a bus that would transverse us over 300 miles in England.

Our first stop was Windsor Castle. We stepped inside the church that will host the royal wedding this May. We were even fortunate enough to catch the changing of the guards. I love bagpipes.

Next stop was Stonehenge. It was cold. Very cold. This was our coldest day while here, but the skies were clear which was nice.

Next stop was Lacock, a small town that makes you feel as if you are taking a step back in time. They filmed many movies here because of that, including Pride & Prejudice and Harry Potter.

Next was Bath, where we visited the Roman Baths. These photos do not do it justice, as it was just beautiful all lit up at night.

A Church in Bath

We returned late that evening. It was a lovely day touring a bit of the countryside.

Day Twelve: St Paul's Cathedral, Globe Theater, Tims & Rat Pack

Day twelve of Europe 2018 began with a trip to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We strapped on a couple audio tours and made our way around the huge church. Wow...wow...wow it is big.

 To get to the top you have to climb 528 steps...and so we did. Paradis doesn’t dig heights, I am claustrophobic, and Anna doesn’t enjoy exercise so this was a challenge for us. But we made it. Check out Anna’s time lapse video.

Top of St. Paul's Cathedral

Hold on Tight Little Girl

After the Cathedral we needed a snack so we stopped at our friend Mickey D’s. It was the most beautiful McDonalds We had ever seen. 

We walked across Millennium Bridge to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. This is a copy of the original, but it was amazing to be inside. 

Paradis has been talking non-stop about a pair of “Tim’s” so she bought a pair. 

On our last free night in London (tomorrow we are on a tour) we wanted to catch another show. We chose Rat Pack. Let’s just say we didn’t go back in after the intermission. But it was a fun evening in London.

We walked 5.6 miles and climbed 49 flights of stairs today. 

Day Eleven: Piccadilly & Hamilton!

Day eleven of Europe 2018 is the original reason for planning this trip...to see Hamilton. I purchased tickets one year ago, and when I did it seemed like an eternity away.

We all slept in and enjoyed the morning. We made our way to Piccadilly and did some shopping.

Piccadilly Square

From there we went to Victoria Station. Immediately upon exiting you see this...Victoria Palace Theater. It is absolutely gorgeous.

We went to a local pub for a bite to eat and a few drinks (they seem to like gin here), and returned to the theater for the show.

At Hamilton!

I had an extra ticket due to Renata not being able to join us. They use a paperless/credit card system to avoid after-market sales, and I loved it. It stops resale of tickets, which frustrates me to no end. I completely agree with an open market but I so wish those that put work into the show would get that extra money. How it works is you use the credit card you purchased your tickets with to enter the theater. Cool. Anyway...I had to sell one of my tickets and they wouldn't let me sell it directly to someone outside. So one of the box office people escorted me to the Return Queue and basically auditioned it off. The guy that bought it, giving cash directly to me, was a lighting designer here in London. It was fun to talk with him about his thoughts about Hamilton. Hamilton is of course a story about America, and it was interesting to be in the audience with a bunch of Brits who of course we went to war with to become independent.

As for the show itself, it was amazing. Paradis and I saw the original cast (yes, including Lin himself) in New York March of 2016. I was worried I would be disappointed, but I wasn't at all. The cast was spectacular, the set is simplistically stunning, and the choreography is mesmerizing.

We got back on the Underground for a return trip home, and again saw America in their Evening Standard.