Happy Anni-birth-aversary...A 33 night Celebration & HHN too.....SF & RPR September 2022 TR

[schumigirl]

My gosh those pictures are stunning!! Sounds like such a lovely family visit too.

Woohoo for ONE WEEK

Thanks Monyk.....it is a gorgeous place, but seeing family was the best!!

Yep.....all our countdowns are getting so close.......

 

[schumigirl]

So beautiful! Scotland is on my (very long) bucket list! I know you have traveled extensively, so I'm interested to hear what's on your own bucket list.

Thanks Cara......yes, Scotland is stunning and if you get the weather, you can`t go wrong at all. You`d love it I`m sure.

Now, that is a very good question.

We have two friends (a couple) who are working their way round the world right now, retirement trip for both after they sold their businesses....crazy to me as they`re going to places I`d never consider!!!

We have visited all the countries in Europe we want to see and most we wouldn`t go back to now, apart from Iceland, wouldn`t mind seeing that one day. Paris used to be a favourite and we have visited more than 20 times, some being quick weekends away as we are so close.

I think I have quite a bucket list of places I won`t go to be honest.......China, India, Africa, Australia, Russia, South America, Japan, Thailand and some places I won`t go back to like Saudi and the UAE.

But for bucket list places, I think they`re all in the USA and Canada.

Utah, for the open skies for stargazing, New England because it`s stunning, Hawaii mainly for the observatories, Montreal for the Grand Prix, Banff because it looks stunning, PEI and I`m sure I`m missing a biggie......oh Seattle for some reason.

And Vegas.....just because.

lol.....think I covered it all!!

Is there anywhere standout to you that you`ve visited?

Obviously Florida for us, but Norway was one of the most stunning places I have ever seen. We didn`t see the Northern lights due to cloud, but jeez.....gorgeous place! Although cold. Very cold

 

[schumigirl]

Gorgeous photos!!! So excited for your trip!

I am OUT for that bug house. I did the bug thing inside the tree at DAK years ago - I think before kids - and I went hysterical and they had to let me out. EMBARRASSING.

Thanks Deb.....usually we have hundreds of pictures from Scotland, but different type of visit this time. Still just as good though.

lol......I can imagine!

I think from what I`ve heard, most folks won`t like it at all.....I did promise I`d try it once, but I think it`ll be a one and done for me.

 

[SCDizFan]

along to this one too SCDizFan


You know the Sheldrick Trust!!!! I think you are one of the few that have heard of them......yes, they do amazing work and such dedication to those beautiful elephants. Have a look at Kevin Richardson`s instagram too......OMG!!!! I love that guy and those lions are incredible with him, I think you`d enjoy seeing his work too, not in it for an ego trip, he cares deeply about those lions.

Thank you....I`m always glad to read you enjoy them......and Edinburgh/London trip will be so lovely! London at Christmas is stunning, haven`t been to Edinburgh at that time before, it`s usually too cold for me......lol......you`ll have a blast though!

And thank you for the good wishes.....and you just reminded me I need to get Tom an anniversary card before we leave, I`ve been thinking of his birthday and put the anniversary out of my mind for now.....lol.....oops!!

Glad to see you here again.......

Thanks for the heads up about Kevin Richardson! Love his Insta!

Thanks for the Edinburgh photos! Gorgeous!

 

[disneyseniors]

Carole, those photos of Scotland were stunning, especially the sunset over the beach. What a lovely place to grow up in. My husbands family tree is all Scottish, even our last name interpreted means "deer" kings keeper" or something like that, LOL.
I would love to visit that area one day including England, Switzerland (where my ancestors come from), and Germany. Such beautiful places with a lot of history.
I know you are so excited to be only one week away! That will go quickly.

Do you have a trip scheduled in February or January next year? We are going to go to Universal at that time, probably around the mid to end of February. We haven't booked it yet, but are about to. It would be great to say Hi if we saw you!

So excited for you and for your trip report!

Ruth

 

[schumigirl]

Thanks for the heads up about Kevin Richardson! Love his Insta!

Thanks for the Edinburgh photos! Gorgeous!

Not Edinburgh SCDizFan.....Culzean Castle on the West Coast, much prettier than Edinburgh to be honest.

Kevin Richardson is a sweetheart!! One of life`s good guys......I find myself watching his videos for hours of him cuddling and walking those lions and even admonishing them at times too. You haven`t lived till you`ve seen a lion looking ashamed for jumping on his back!

Glad you enjoy watching him though.

 

[schumigirl]

Carole, those photos of Scotland were stunning, especially the sunset over the beach. What a lovely place to grow up in. My husbands family tree is all Scottish, even our last name interpreted means "deer" kings keeper" or something like that, LOL.
I would love to visit that area one day including England, Switzerland (where my ancestors come from), and Germany. Such beautiful places with a lot of history.
I know you are so excited to be only one week away! That will go quickly.

Do you have a trip scheduled in February or January next year? We are going to go to Universal at that time, probably around the mid to end of February. We haven't booked it yet, but are about to. It would be great to say Hi if we saw you!

So excited for you and for your trip report!

Ruth

Thanks Ruth......

It is one of the most gorgeous places in the world and the sunset there rivals anywhere in the world.

It`s amazing how many folks have Scots ancestry, us Scots did get around quite a bit......lol......

Switzerland and Germany are two places I would go back to in mainland Europe, along with Austria, they are stunning and the people are very friendly. I have German/Swiss/Norwegian ancestry so have an affinity to those countries, you would absolutely love them. In Germany we did visit the cities of course, but we loved Bavaria where the Neuschwanstein Castle is, and family too. Cinderella Castle is based on that one. Stunning area and yes the history is wonderful.

After this trip our next visit is May 23, yes, it would be lovely to say hello one day.

Next year we may not visit in September, might be October/November......still to be decided depending on a cousin`s wedding plans.

Thank you, glad you`re still enjoying it.......

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Can't believe it's less than a week and you'll be back!!! Whoo-hoo!!!

Not a fan of haunted houses, HHN or the scare zones... But I do believe in spirit and The Donnely House sounds like fun!!! I've been to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado and did one of the haunted tours... Nothing exciting happend but it was interesting to hear the history of the hotel...

Oh, and I saw Elton John in concert a couple weeks ago when he was in Chicago, Illinois... AH-MAZING concert!!! He played for 2.5 hours straight and only left the stage twice, just long enough to change outfits...

 

[schumigirl]

Can't believe it's less than a week and you'll be back!!! Whoo-hoo!!!

Not a fan of haunted houses, HHN or the scare zones... But I do believe in spirit and The Donnely House sounds like fun!!! I've been to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado and did one of the haunted tours... Nothing exciting happend but it was interesting to hear the history of the hotel...

Oh, and I saw Elton John in concert a couple weeks ago when he was in Chicago, Illinois... AH-MAZING concert!!! He played for 2.5 hours straight and only left the stage twice, just long enough to change outfits...

I would LOVE to see that hotel!!! It looks beautiful and yes, I`d be first in line for a haunted tour anywhere.......that hotel does have an interesting history. Yes, scare zones, haunted houses and HHN aren`t for everyone, a couple of my friends don`t understand it and one completely hates anything like that.

Everyone says Elton John puts on a tremendous show, I`m glad you enjoyed it, not quite sure where he gets the energy from. I think this is his very long farewell tour isn`t it??

Yep, we are excited for next week!!

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

I have no idea where Elton gets all his energy!!!! He turned 75 in March and his Farewell Well tour doesn't end until the fall of 2023...

My husband and all 3 of my children love scary movies, haunted houses, HHN and scare zones... They didn't get it from me!!!

 

[Cara]

Great list, Carole! I traveled in the U.S. quite a bit when I was growing up, and Mike and I have started to check some things off our bucket list in the last few years. I've never been to Europe! England and Scotland are on my bucket list for sure. Also Italy and Greece. I've been to Israel and might like to return one day if it was part of a larger trip/cruise.

On the U.S. list, I have national parks in Maine (hitting that one next year), California (I've been to a few but my husband hasn't), Wyoming (same as previous), Montana, Washington State, South Florida and Alaska (a cruise for sure!). Strongly enough, I've never been to New Orleans, but we're hitting that up next year too.

My favorite places I have visited in the U.S. include Utah (absolutely gorgeous), Hawaii (truly breathtakingly beautiful!), California (still more to see!) and northern Arizona. Love the Smokey Mountains, Asheville, Charleston, Savannah, Colorado (husband has never been there either, so we'll hopefully be able to do that together one day too), San Diego is a fave, LOVE Chicago... Orlando is also always one of my favorite vacation destinations. We went several times when our daughter was growing up and are now looking forward to taking our grandson. And ourselves! After four days with him in November at Disney, we may just collapse into our beds at RPR and stay there for a full day!

 

[Cara]

Hello again, Carole! No December trip this year? I mean, you do have two LOVELY LONG trips...

 

[schumigirl]

I have no idea where Elton gets all his energy!!!! He turned 75 in March and his Farewell Well tour doesn't end until the fall of 2023...

My husband and all 3 of my children love scary movies, haunted houses, HHN and scare zones... They didn't get it from me!!!

lol.....my mum always wonders where I got my love of all things spooky, scary or paranormal as I think I`m the only one of my siblings who is interested in that type of thing and she most certainly isn`t either. I always say...there`s always one.......

That is one heck of a farewell tour!!

 

[schumigirl]

Great list, Carole! I traveled in the U.S. quite a bit when I was growing up, and Mike and I have started to check some things off our bucket list in the last few years. I've never been to Europe! England and Scotland are on my bucket list for sure. Also Italy and Greece. I've been to Israel and might like to return one day if it was part of a larger trip/cruise.

On the U.S. list, I have national parks in Maine (hitting that one next year), California (I've been to a few but my husband hasn't), Wyoming (same as previous), Montana, Washington State, South Florida and Alaska (a cruise for sure!). Strongly enough, I've never been to New Orleans, but we're hitting that up next year too.

My favorite places I have visited in the U.S. include Utah (absolutely gorgeous), Hawaii (truly breathtakingly beautiful!), California (still more to see!) and northern Arizona. Love the Smokey Mountains, Asheville, Charleston, Savannah, Colorado (husband has never been there either, so we'll hopefully be able to do that together one day too), San Diego is a fave, LOVE Chicago... Orlando is also always one of my favorite vacation destinations. We went several times when our daughter was growing up and are now looking forward to taking our grandson. And ourselves! After four days with him in November at Disney, we may just collapse into our beds at RPR and stay there for a full day!

Israel is somewhere I don`t think I`ve ever even considered visiting??

You have been to some gorgeous places, everyone says Utah is stunning, makes us want to go even more to be honest. Tom always wanted to see San Francisco, but not so much recently, however the wine regions seem to be calling our name at some point, no surprises there lol.....

But it is such a vast country to see and so many variables....mountains, beaches, cities to name just a few highlights, we`re spoiled for choice really. But, yes for now it`s Florida for us.

You`d love some places in Europe for sure, it`s changed a lot in recent years from what it was but there are still some stunningly beautiful places to visit. In Italy we were never fond of the cities, but head to much quieter areas and we just loved it. Avoiding touristy places is the key......lol.......

Hello again, Carole! No December trip this year? I mean, you do have two LOVELY LONG trips...

Yes, we have been four times for Christmas since 2017 and thought we`d give it a miss this year especially as we have a few celebrations going on this year at that time including two weddings, although one has still to be confirmed........but we wouldn`t want to miss any of them.

So yes, May is the next big one to look forward to after this one.

 

[Monykalyn]

everyone says Utah is stunning,

Utah is stunning. Arches National Park looks like it belongs on another planet. Another of those places where pictures don't do it justice:
Hawaii is one of my favorites now-it's hard to describe but there is a smell of sea/flowers something that you have to experience. Since much of airports are open air you start walking down terminal and take a deep breath and ahhhhhh.
Seattle is ok-it is pretty and our daughter likes it. She also LOVES Alaska! She is now concentrating more on seismic activity in that area for her degree. We did enjoy Portland many years ago, along with trip to to southern washington over the Bridge of the Gods (when you see the scenery you get why it's called that).
I want to travel around the globe but USA is so dang big and diverse that we are very lucky we get to experience it all.

 

[disneyseniors]

Thanks Ruth......

It is one of the most gorgeous places in the world and the sunset there rivals anywhere in the world.

It`s amazing how many folks have Scots ancestry, us Scots did get around quite a bit......lol......

Switzerland and Germany are two places I would go back to in mainland Europe, along with Austria, they are stunning and the people are very friendly. I have German/Swiss/Norwegian ancestry so have an affinity to those countries, you would absolutely love them. In Germany we did visit the cities of course, but we loved Bavaria where the Neuschwanstein Castle is, and family too. Cinderella Castle is based on that one. Stunning area and yes the history is wonderful.

After this trip our next visit is May 23, yes, it would be lovely to say hello one day.

Next year we may not visit in September, might be October/November......still to be decided depending on a cousin`s wedding plans.

Thank you, glad you`re still enjoying it.......

I had to laugh at your comment about how those Scot's got around !
I have a family history booklet about an inch thick of ancestors, etc, and that is where I found what the family name meant. I guess his Scot relatives were poor workers who watched over the king's game, deer specifically. I gave the book to my sisterinlaw as it is her family ancestory, and my husband isn't in to that kind of stuff.

My daughter visited Germany, Austria while on a class trip in high school. She loved Germany and Austria. It sounds so beautiful. She wants to go back one day to see it as an adult, LOL.

Looks like we will miss each other in the Spring, but you never know!

ruth

 

[Cara]

Carole, we had an absolutely fabulous road trip in Utah last May. We flew into SLC for one night and then spent three nights in Moab (Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse Point State Park), one night in the tiny little town of Torrey (Capitol Reef National Park), two nights in Bryce National Park, two nights at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (we stayed in a rim-view cabin-- North Rim is so much more tranquil than the more-visited South Rim), two nights at Zion National Park and then one night in Vegas before flying home. I'm sure it was partially because there were still no shows due to COVID, but Vegas is not a place I would ever again make a point to visit unless I was just passing through. This trip was 4.5 months after I finished my cancer treatment, and it was just the right amount of adventure and rest for my very weary soul! Let me know if you ever decide to visit -- I would love to share my itinerary, as I think it was pretty much the perfect trip!

 

[schumigirl]

Utah is stunning. Arches National Park looks like it belongs on another planet. Another of those places where pictures don't do it justice:
Hawaii is one of my favorites now-it's hard to describe but there is a smell of sea/flowers something that you have to experience. Since much of airports are open air you start walking down terminal and take a deep breath and ahhhhhh.
Seattle is ok-it is pretty and our daughter likes it. She also LOVES Alaska! She is now concentrating more on seismic activity in that area for her degree. We did enjoy Portland many years ago, along with trip to to southern washington over the Bridge of the Gods (when you see the scenery you get why it's called that).
I want to travel around the globe but USA is so dang big and diverse that we are very lucky we get to experience it all.

I always said, if I lived in the USA, I might never leave it as there is so much to see and all different from each other.

Someone else said it looks like it could be on Mars or similar, I would love to think I`ll see it one day.

Hawaii does sound beautiful and I`m not sure what it is about Seattle I am drawn too, I don`t think it`s the most beautiful of cities, but it has something I`d like to discover.

I`m glad your daughter is enjoying her degree, quite fascinating as a subject.

 

[schumigirl]

I had to laugh at your comment about how those Scot's got around !
I have a family history booklet about an inch thick of ancestors, etc, and that is where I found what the family name meant. I guess his Scot relatives were poor workers who watched over the king's game, deer specifically. I gave the book to my sisterinlaw as it is her family ancestory, and my husband isn't in to that kind of stuff.

My daughter visited Germany, Austria while on a class trip in high school. She loved Germany and Austria. It sounds so beautiful. She wants to go back one day to see it as an adult, LOL.

Looks like we will miss each other in the Spring, but you never know!

ruth

lol.....our most famous Bard, Rabbie Burns was known to like the ladies and had a lot of children born on the wrong side of the blanket so to speak.....and it was said if he`d had a bike and could travel further afield, we`d all be related!!! I`m sure we all are if we look far enough!!

Ancestry is fascinating, and if you have an interest and the time, it can be so rewarding.

Seeing places as an adult is very different, I first saw Paris due to school back in 1979, so it was very different going back with Tom before we got married, much better of course, so your daughter will love it if she does make it back.

Germany, Austria and Switzerland are lovely.

 

[schumigirl]

Carole, we had an absolutely fabulous road trip in Utah last May. We flew into SLC for one night and then spent three nights in Moab (Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse Point State Park), one night in the tiny little town of Torrey (Capitol Reef National Park), two nights in Bryce National Park, two nights at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (we stayed in a rim-view cabin-- North Rim is so much more tranquil than the more-visited South Rim), two nights at Zion National Park and then one night in Vegas before flying home. I'm sure it was partially because there were still no shows due to COVID, but Vegas is not a place I would ever again make a point to visit unless I was just passing through. This trip was 4.5 months after I finished my cancer treatment, and it was just the right amount of adventure and rest for my very weary soul! Let me know if you ever decide to visit -- I would love to share my itinerary, as I think it was pretty much the perfect trip!

I Googled Torrey while watching Harry Potter tonight, getting in the mood....it is stunning!! My goodness, that is a trip we`d love to make one day.

I do want to see the Hoover Dam purely for the Engineering side of it, I think we`d love to see that.

We have a friend in the hotel who loves Vegas, but he is huge hotel fan and loves to see all they have to offer, he has told us where we should go and more importantly, where we should avoid. I think it`s one of those places I`d like to see once and then decide if we`d go back. My niece hated it, but it was one of those weird times where it rained for 5 days......lol......