Tag: travel

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #8. “A Night of Adventure”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We had a wonderful day with Erica yesterday.  We looked at another apartment which was a bit of a disappointment but had a great time going for wonderful meals, visiting the Matisse exhibition, and of course dealing with my toes.  I failed to report about our after-dinner visit to Retiro park.  For those not familiar with Madrid, El Retiro “The Retreat” is a real treasure.  Besides its unusual beauty it adds special holiday lighting during the Xmas season. Erica was excited to share this with us.  Dinner was at a restaurant across the street from the park so after a brief walk we were treated to a beautiful show. We stopped for a quick photo as we planned to circle the display and then return to the hotel.  

You can see part of the Xmas light display behind us.
I am sure you will agree this is very special.

As we came to the end of the display a security guard drove rather close to us and gave me a bit of a startle.  We continued our stroll, then suddenly all the display lights turned off.  At that point we started to walk toward the exit.  Before we got to where we entered we were told by another tourist that the gate was closed and we had to find another place to leave the park.  So we then started towards the metro exit.  Before we could get to the metro station we met 4 tourists from Belgium who let us know the metro exit was locked. Erica said let’s try the Atocha exit.  She seemed confident that we would be able to leave the park at that location but I was nervous about possibly being forced to spend the night in the park.  We then picked up 3 Spanish speaking women who seemed more interested taking pictures than finding a way out of the park.  Next we met a French student doing a study abroad year   She seemed very grateful to Erica for apparently leading her to safety.  I wasn’t as confident. Finally, all 8 of us, (we and our new found friends) made it to the Atocha gate and were able to exit the park and get back to our hotel.  The whole event was a bit traumatic but will make for a funny story one day (hopefully today). Later, Patrice read about some tourists who got stuck in the park for two hours looking for an exit after closing hours. I suppose by comparison we were very lucky.

With the trauma of last night behind us, we spent today mostly looking at apartments for Erica and………. eating.  Both are very fun activities for me. 

A little travel tip that most of you probably already know, but maybe will help one of you.  Years ago, prior to travel you would need to get local currency prior to boarding your plane at home. Now that is totally unnecessary.  You will find that pretty much every merchant will take your credit card (I recommend using Apple Pay) for reimbursement.  You might want some local cash for small purchases (for a dollar or two).  When you use your credit card you will be asked if you want the merchant to charge you in the local currency (in Spain, it is the Euro) or US Dollars.   ALWAYS choose the local currency.  You will get a much better exchange rate from your bank than from the merchant.   For example today we had a lunch that cost us 44.05 €.  The merchant option was to pay $56.01.  The conversion of 44.05 € using Google was $52.22.  I was charged $51.88 on my credit card. 

We are headed to a late dinner now so I will check in with you again tomorrow.

Love those comments.  Please keep messaging me so I know I am not just writing to myself. 

Adios

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #6. “Let’s Go Look For an Apartment”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We spent the morning looking for an apartment for Erica.  In Spain they don’t have an MLS system where everyone lists their properties for sale.  To the contrary, each realtor has their own listings and the real estate agent represents both the buyer and seller.  So if you are looking to buy a property you need to register with multiple agencies.  This seems like a system in the need of a computer genius and a salesperson.  We did find one apartment to look at this morning.  It seemed old and expensive. From what we were told it’s a seller’s market.  Always seems like it’s a seller’s market until you want to sell. 

After leaving the apartment we went to lunch at Arrocería Imperial.  They specialize in rice dishes. We were accompanied by Erica’s friend Sofi (pronounced like Sophie not like So Fi Stadium).  The four of us shared two dishes. They were both very good but if you aren’t into rice meals this might not be the place for you.  You could tell this was a high class place because the toilet in the bathroom had a toilet seat.  I needed to find the toilet because the urinal was too high for use by a mortal male.  The bottom of the urinal came to my mid thigh.  Granted I’m not the tallest man in the world but I wouldn’t describe myself as short.  I opted for the toilet because the urinal would have required me to aim up at about 45º in order to clear the edge.  That would have been fine but it would have made for an interesting finale. 

I would tell you what this is but I don’t remember.
This was called, “It tastes good but it is a lot of work to eat”.

And or course we couldn’t leave without……………. see below.

Some more Crema de Orujo. “Patrice, look for a 12 step program! Not now, let’s wait until we return home.”

After lunch we visited another apartment.  This place was very interesting  in that after entering, the first room you encounter is a bathroom on the right.  The second room is another bathroom on the right.  That means that if you need to get up at night to use the bathroom you need to bypass much of the apartment in order to get to one of the two bathrooms.  We will continue the search tomorrow. 

After a rest back at the hotel (at which point my step count was 15,514) we headed to dinner.  We went to La Oveja Negra (The Black Sheep), a vegan  restaurant for dinner.  The chef (head honcho) is Sofi, Erica’s friend from this morning.  We had a wonderful meal and then headed back to the hotel. 

Leek Soup. Very yummy.
Vegan Milanesa, also very good.
Sofi, Erica, Famous Blogger, Patrice.

Final step count 18,743.

Adios

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #5. “A Day of Rest”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

Today is a holiday in Spain. December 8th is the Day of the Immaculate Conception.  In a Catholic country this is obviously a big deal and pretty much everything thing in town was closed so we spent the day chilling out.  Erica perused the web for a possible apartment to buy (tear, tear, she’s not coming back to be with mommy and daddy).  Patrice went to the fitness room to work out.  I sat here thinking what it would take to be a full time blogger. 

The thought of blogging full time seemed quite attractive to me since it would give me a reason to wake up and get out of bed each day and I could get paid to travel.  So we did some research to see what it takes to earn a living as a blogger.  I read that quality over quantity can make for a profitable blog.  A blogger can do quite well with as little as 1,000 followers.  That being said, in view of the quality of my posts I will be needing at least a million followers.  

Another key concept is to know your niche.  I clearly know my niche but unfortunately it’s only things that I find interesting (Patrice here, took him this long to figure that out?). 

Apparently to make real money on a blog you have use product placement in your photos.  That’s like selling yourself to the devil.  Clearly something I’d never do.  That reminds me Patrice took this candid shot of me the other day.  Don’t you think it’s very flattering?

I just happen to have those things on the table when she shot the picture. I would never resort to product placement to earn a buck. Hey General Mills, please notice the box of Cheerios!

After a lot of chill time we decided to go out for a walk and meet up with an old friend.  In 2008, I visited Spain and took a Spanish class when I was here.  One of my teachers was Angelica.  During class I mentioned that I was from California and she said she would be going to California soon.  I told her to come stay with me.  She warned “Don’t say that because I will.”  Well she came to LA and stayed at our house and we have been friends ever since.  Every time I would travel to Spain she would help me make plans.  I have affectionally referred to her as my Spanish mother.  She is significantly younger than me so for her to be my mama that is a real case of Immaculate Conception. 

Patrice, Erica and I met Angelica at a local cafe to have some coffee and talk.  The coffee was delicious and the conversation even better.  I always feel so wonderful seeing her.  She is a wonderful mama but even more importantly she is a regular follower of the blog making me an International sensation.  I consider 1 follower in Spain a sensation.

Patrice had tea.  They brought it with a timer instructing her not to pour it until the 5 minute timer completed.  See below.

Notice the 1, 3, and 5, minute timers.

Erica and Angelica had specialty coffees. See below. 

Barraquito (Left): sweetened condensed milk, milk, espresso, foam, and a slice of lemon soaked in liquor.
Mocca (Right): chocolate syrup, milk, espresso, foam.
Chocolate chip cookie in the center

I had a café con leche as usual. Boring but pretty. See below.

A quick selfie with Patrice, Erica, Angelica, and me prior to parting.

After leaving Angelica we headed to an Indian restaurant close to our hotel for dinner.  The food was superb and I strongly recommend you try Atocha Tandoori located at Paseo de Santa Maria de la Cabeza, 27.  Sorry, no pictures of the food but I did get a picture of the aperitifs they served after the meal.  See below.

Patrice had the mango puree with yogurt. Erica and I had the Crema de Orujo.

Those who know me are aware that I am a non-drinker.  Tonight was the 4th time I have had a Crema de Orujo on this trip.  I might need a 12 step program when I get back. 

Adios

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #4. “The Bitter and the Sweet”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

Last night we had an incredible meal.  We ate at El Pimiento Verde (Calle de Lagasca, 43).  We had been there before, but to be frank I didn’t remember how good it was.  Patrice and I enjoyed the monkfish (in Spanish it has the unenviable name of “Rape”).    This might have been the best fish I’ve ever eaten.  David and Erica each had the filet mignon. We all shared the artichoke which too was probably the best artichoke I have ever eaten.  They also supplied us with delicious bread, a palate cleansing broth to drink, and yummy croquets.  If that wasn’t enough we shared a baked apple with ice cream for dessert.  Oh my God I’m getting full just writing this.  I need to take a break from writing because it’s time for breakfast. 

Monkfish (Rape) with potatoes. The before picture.
And after. A thumbs up from David.

Earlier in the evening Erica took us to the “Repair Cafe”. At this location some very smart people get together and share their great minds repairing items. So if you have a hair dryer, coffee maker, or some other device that is not working properly, you can bring it to the Repair Cafe and get it fixed for free or a small donation of your chosing. So instead of an appliance being added to the waste of the world it is brought back from the dead and the owner and society both profit. David was working on a hair straightening iron. I was totally amazed by his ability. He was explaining to Erica what he was doing and I was trying (I emphasize trying) to follow along. My only thought was, “Could this genius really be my son?”

Last night was bitter sweet in that we had a wonderful time with the kids but this morning it was time for David to return home.  I can’t feel too sad because we will see him again in a couple of weeks.

Today we met up with Erica and went to El Rastro, an open air market that is open every Sunday.  If you love crowds and buying junk that you don’t need this is your place. 

For example, we traveled about 5,800 miles to get here, shouldn’t I go home with a Lebron James jersey?  

A vintage jersey from when he was with the Cleveland Caviliers.

I offered to buy this for Patrice. See below.

She was very considerate of my sleep and financial well being when she said “Dream on! Save your money”.

The Rastro offers tables for people to eat while shopping. See below.

Don’t you just want to dig in when your food has been hanging out on a trash can?

If the latest in tech hardware is your area of interest then you might want this offering. See below.

I asked the salesperson what this was and he said, “Un momento, necesito preguntarle a mi padre” (One moment, I need to ask my father).

Here is a “must have” item. See below.

Wouldn’t a used beard trimmer fill out your bathroom drawer?

In addition to the hoards of people, the place was very clean. Just look, as this woman adds one more item on top of this trash can (or should I say lunch table?). 

If you are a long time follower of this blog, you know we are NOT in Japan.

After an hour or so at El Rastro it was time to eat.  Today we dined at Casa Erica.   She made us a luscious seafood salad.  She was very kind, making sure that her dog didn’t lick me during lunch. Unfortunately after lunch I became too much for the doggie to resist. I know there are a lot of dog lovers out there but if I am going to get licked by a female I want her to have 2 legs, not 4.

At night Erica took us to La Parcería (the partnership).  It’s a cultural organization formed by Brazilians and Columbians.   We saw men and women dancing, accompanied by 2 percussionists and a singer. They were very energetic, very entertaining, but too loud for my gentle ears.

After the show we shared a quick bite at a local bar. In Spain, restaurants are referred to as bars. We shared “Huevos Rotos” which means broken eggs. See below.

They weren’t broken when we received them but they were soon after this picture was taken.

I need to get to sleep now because we have lots of big plans for tomorrow. I would tell you what’s going on but the truth is I have no idea.

Hasta mañana.

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day#2. “We Get to See a Celebrity Today”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

Any of you parents out there will be able understand why today was so wonderful.  Erica met us at the hotel after breakfast and then it was off to visit the Irish Embassy where she works as the Executive Assistant to the Irish Ambassador to Spain.   And if you don’t know how much I enjoyed writing that sentence or telling it to anyone who will listen then you definitely are not a parent.   When we planned this trip I asked Erica if we could meet the Ambassador and she said definitely.  I asked, how she could be so sure and her answer was “I make his schedule.  Hmmm, Friday December 5th, 11:00 AM: Meet my parents.  There, it’s done”.  If you don’t think that put me in parent ecstasy you are out of touch with reality.   

Meeting Ambassador Brian Glynn was a real treat.  As expected this career diplomat was very diplomatic and said all the things we wanted to hear about our daughter.  We also spoke about world affairs.  He had viewpoints about Ireland, Britain, and the United States that were spell-binding. In addition he gave me a chance to show him a few of my magic tricks.  I was amazed by how much time he devoted to us.  Mr. Glynn is a very impressive person who speaks 6 languages.  That reminds me of a joke you’ve probably already heard.  A person who speaks 3 languages is “trilingual”, someone who speaks 2 languages is “bilingual” and someone who speaks one language is of course an “American”.  

Irish Ambassador to Spain, Brian Glynn, yours truly (aka Proud Papa), Patrice (aka Proud Mama), and Erica (Executive Assistant to the Ambassador).

After leaving the ambassador we stopped for a quick snack.  I was feeling a bit guilty about not exercising so I decided to work out while eating.  See below.  

I guess I was lying when I vowed to never get on a bike again.

We bought our treats at a local market. Here are a couple of pictures from the market.

Poor little piggies hanging in the market.

If that isn’t enough to make you give up meat try looking at this picture.

Poor little piglets.

Then it was off to meet a celebrity.  Wait, did you think I meant Brian Glynn when I wrote about meeting a celebrity?   Absolutely not!  A very prominent and respected software engineer has been in London working on a project and is traveling through Madrid on his way home.   Yes, our son, David made it to Spain.   How lucky we are.  We met David at the airport and cautioned him to try hard to carry on his luggage and avoid the problem we had.  The 1500 steps to baggage claim is another matter but some exercise is actually a good thing.  Unfortunately David was not allowed to carry on his small bag but luckily his wait at baggage claim was a lot shorter than ours.

It was great having 2 of our 3 children with us.  We visited the Museo Arqueológico Nacional and saw some fascinating  exhibits some dating back to about 500-600 BC. 

Patrice and me with 2 of our 3 wonderful children.

That is going to have to be enough for now because we are off to dinner.

Adiós

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day#1. “The Joys of Travel”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We got off to an early start to LAX today, thanks to our good friend Mike.  He has frequently volunteered to give us a ride to the airport and I think it is mostly because he feels guilty about kicking my butt during our weekend cribbage matches.  Today we are beginning a visit to see our daughter, Erica, who lives in Madrid. 

Today I fell victim to the risk of traveling from a warm climate to a cold one. I was very comfortable in Mike’s car but when I exited I realized that my jacket was safely resting on my bed at home.  No problem I thought, I’ll just buy a jacket at the airport.  Ha!  The only thing I found was something that might keep me warm in Northern California but certainly not in Madrid in December.  One thing that did warm me up was looking at the price ($699).  I messaged Erica letting her know we will need to stop at a men’s store soon after arrival.  She said the magic words, El Corte Inglés.  For those who’ve never been to Spain, ECI is the shoppers heaven.  They have everything.  From high end men’s and women’s clothing, sporting goods, jewelry, to groceries.  Mind you, not everything is in one place.  They have multiple stores around the city so you need to know which ECI store has what you need but as I said they have it. 

Our flight was wonderful.  We flew on Iberia Airlines.  The flight crew were very kind and I managed to get a little sleep. We arrived on time to Madrid.  Getting through customs was a breeze.  I went for a run in the morning but got a second work out at the Madrid airport. I’d estimate the walk from the plane to baggage claim to be about 1500 steps.  In spite of that long walk and need to go through customs we still had to wait for our luggage.  I texted Erica an update saying I think our bags might have been on a different plane because we had been waiting such a long time.  We didn’t see anything on the conveyor belt for another 25 minutes after that comment.  Total baggage wait time about 40 minutes.

After finally getting our bags we saw the sight that brought us to the country, our daughter, Erica.  She was kind enough to pick us up at the airport and was very thoughtful to turn up the heat in the car and get me to a store so I could buy a survival jacket.  Instead of ECI we wound up going to another local favorite, H & M (actually based in Sweden and not Spain). They had a variety of jackets for me to choose and I found one that cost less than the tax would have cost me for the jacket at LAX. 

How do we look? 

When I say WE I mean the jacket and me not, Erica, Patrice and me.

Sorry, I’m a little batty. I didn’t sleep much on the plane.  I need a nap.   Erica has plans for us tonight so I’ll say good night and talk to you tomorrow. 

Adios. 

Birthday Celebration Day #3 “Recovery Day: Or Californians Cannot Deal With Rain”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

Yesterday was so special we were bound to have a let down today.  It started out well in that I did make it to the gym today.  Oops, I forgot we are at a fancy hotel and they don’t have a gym.  I got up early and went to the Fitness Center.  I did a short run on the treadmill and then headed back to the room.  Much to my surprise, Patrice was awake and soon we were on our way to the lounge for the breakfast we missed yesterday. 

The hotel breakfast buffet was good but not great.  I tried to eat healthy after my day of debauchery yesterday. For example, today I thought some cheese would be good.  Since the tomato and cheese (mozzarella) salad was a little devoid of cheese (see below) I decided to have a cheese danish instead.  Healthy choice, no?

Where’s the cheese?

After breakfast we whined for a while because today was much colder and it was raining.  Definitely something Californians do not enjoy.  We decided to brave the elements and take a short walk to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art).  I have to confess I am not much of a modern art guy but the other museums were much further away so MOMA was my choice as well. 

First we saw this Jackson Pollock painting.  I don’t recall the name but I think it was “Painter falls and spills his supplies”.  See below.

If your mind works like this is it any surprise the artist had a drinking problem?

We also saw this sculpture.  I think it was called “Jafar from Aladdin”. 

Admit it, doesn’t it look like Jafar?

We did see one of Patrice’s favorites, Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh so the trip was worthwhile.  

Okay, okay, I liked it too!

Another art piece I enjoyed was this one with a medical theme entitled “Jewish Penicillin”.  See below

Andy Warhol’s rendition of our cure all.

Please don’t think I didn’t enjoy myself.  Actually I had a very good time.  I really enjoyed the Senior Discount we received and all the steps I racked up on my pedometer. 

After MOMA it was time to eat.  I told Patrice I wanted to head to Junior’s across the street from the hotel for a corned beef sandwich.  Followers of the blog know that I never eat Shrimp and Grits (which I love) north of the Mason Dixon line.  I have a similar rule for corned beef on Rye.  I only eat it when we come to New York.  This serves me well in that I always enjoy a good corned beef sandwich  on our trips here and my longevity is not severely compromised.   The meal was delicious but I was disappointed that they didn’t offer potato knishes. A New York deli and no knishes?

Tonight we decided to stay at the hotel for entertainment.  The reasons are simple, it is cold and raining outside and Monday is typically a dark night for Broadway so all the shows that interested us are not performing.  Instead we saw “Stranger Things: the First Shadow” at the hotel theater. This was a prequel to a show of the same name on Netflix. The people in attendance seemed to love it. I assume they were fans of the show because I didn’t get it and could hardly wait for it to end.  

We leave early tomorrow so this will be my last post of the trip.  Followers know I like to end with some interesting photos so here you go. 

Do you really need to tell people this?
Junior’s tribute to our Dodgers?
Health food truck around the corner from our hotel.

See you in December when we travel to ………………….

Ciao

Patrice here. Thank you for a very nice birthday trip.

Birthday Celebration Day #2 “Life Can’t Get Better Than This!”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

I started off today with great plans; let Patrice sleep in while I went to workout.  Well, things didn’t quite go as planned but at least I did let her sleep in.  

After Patrice awoke we headed to the lounge where breakfast is included with our room tab.  We got a relatively early start leaving our room at 7:00 AM Los Angeles time but upon arriving at the lounge were told that breakfast ends at 9:30 AM eastern time.   They did supply us with some yogurt but that wasn’t adequate.  I thought we should see if the gelato place from last night had a more reasonable waiting line this morning. Upon arrival we found no one on line or inside the store.  We were greeted by Uriel who offered us samples from a wonderful selection at “Anita’s Gelato” (1561 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028).  

Turns out Anita is an Israeli woman who has stores all over the world.  In addition to 4 in Manhattan there are stores in Spain, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and other countries.  They even have a store in Los Angeles.   I found out the only store in Los Angeles is in Tarzana. Yes, Spain, UK, Australia, and Tarzana?

Uriel and his co-worker Loïc. Patrice thought she said she spelled her name Loïz. She is Israeli. I Googled it and the only name I found was Loïc, a French male name. The only Israeli name close to that would be Lior. Whatever her name, both she and Uriel were very nice. As was the gelato.

After leaving the gelato place we learned how the NYPD is able to respond to emergencies when confronted by bumper to bumper cars. 

I edited out some people from this photo. Can you see that part of one is still there?

We then saw the ultimate picture of harmony. Check out this gorgeous child.

I of course asked mom and dad if I could take a picture and put it on my blog. I told them that no one looks at my blog so they are safe.

Motivated by the baby in the picture we went to our room for a brief rest (Hey, missing out on breakfast and eating gelato requires some recovery time) and then headed over to see the musical that encouraged us to make this trip, “& Juliet”. We saw the show in Los Angeles and loved it in spite of having horrible seats.   We bought our tickets for tonight’s performance quite a while back. Tickets were available in the 4th row and front row.  We chose the front row seats and realized they were half the price of the 4th row seats because during one of the musical numbers your view is obstructed by a prop.  That was unfortunate but for the remainder of the show you are in musical heaven.  The show was every bit as spectacular as it was in LA. 

Patrice and me at our front row seats hoping the cast will come back and do the show again.

Following the show we went back to the hotel to pick up an umbrella (yes, it started to drizzle) and then we were off to dinner.  Tonight we dined at Milos (125 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019).  This place was recommended by one of my patients.  He told me it’s a bit pricey but he loves it. He goes there every time he is in New York.  I have to admit, it was spectacular, but was very pricey.  

We started by sharing a Lobster Salad. This was amazing.
Patrice had the halibut. Very moist and delicious.
I had the pasta primavera. It wasn’t on the menu but was offered to me when I asked what kinds of vegetarian options they had. That really impressed me (as did the taste of the dish).
We shared the grilled vegetables. Have you ever seen a more lovely display of veggies?
For dessert we had Walnut Cake.
And how can you go to a Greek restaurant without having Baklava?
To help us celebrate Patrice’s birthday they gave us a small fruit platter. I love the candle holder (see above).

As I said the food was expensive but I can be thankful that neither of us are drinkers.  See below.

People really spend this much for wine? I think that is the definition of a drinking problem.

We are back in the room now and ready to call it a night. Until tomorrow.

Ciao

Birthday Celebration Day #1 “Don’t You Just Love to Fly?”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

Patrice and I headed to New York today in order to  celebrate her ??? birthday.  Her actual birthday was yesterday.  So if you forgot to call or message her forget it, it’s too late, and you are on her no fly zone list.  Don’t worry she got congratulatory messages from her credit card company and insurance agent.  

As a special birthday gift we both get rewarded by flying when  the government has been shut down resulting in TSA agents and Air Traffic Controllers working without pay.    

We had a pleasant ride to LAX.  Our taxi arrived on time and we seemed to have a great driver.  Apparently there is an app that he uses that critiques his driving.  A couple of times we heard this mysterious voice announce, “Rolling stop detected”.  Wow, glad I don’t have one of those in my car.  I can just imagine what it might be telling me: “You might want to drive a little slower” or “Is your turning signal broken?”. 

Boarding was uneventful as was the flight.   Unfortunately the ride from JFK to our hotel was less than ideal.  A crash on the highway slowed our voyage.   But it wasn’t a total loss because we learned some interesting phrases from our cab driver.  At one point I checked Google maps and it said we were 1.1 miles from the hotel but the estimated arrival was 24 minutes. 

Don’t these people know it is my wife’s birthday and we need to get to the city?

After checking in at the hotel we got a quick bite to eat and then tried to get tickets to a Broadway show.  With travel being so unpredictable we didn’t want to buy tickets in advance, in case our flight got canceled. So we tried to get rush tickets at a variety of shows. We failed at 3 locations and finally were successful at getting the last 2 tickets for the show “Chess”.  We heard a lukewarm review from one of Patrice’s friends but we thought what the heck, what else do we have to do?  The show is a fictitious story about a chess match between an American and a Russian that supposedly happened in 1979.  All I can say is that we won’t be asking Patrice’s friend for show recommendations.  We loved the show even though we got the last 2 seats and had to sit on opposite sides of the theater (Patrice here, that was the best part).  

The set of “Chess” before the show began.

After the show we decided to stop by for some late night gelato at a store next to the hotel.  We arrived there at about 11:15 pm and saw about 50 people on line.  We decided that we didn’t need gelato that much and came back to the room so I could write the blog. 

People on line for gelato at 11:15 pm.

Great first day of our birthday celebration.  More fun planned for tomorrow.

Ciao

Skol! Our Trip to Scandinavia Day 14 “Wrap Up Photos”

by reissmd, posted in Denmark, Norway, Sweden

Loyal followers of this blog know that my last post of a trip has a series of signs and sights that I have found interesting. This trip is no exception.

This was at our hotel in Stockholm. Apparently Swedes don’t know how to wash their hands.
Tyres = Tires. Otherwise I don’t think this requires any explanation.
I was told WC stands for Water Closet. I guess they have a lot of bottled water here and need to keep it in a locked storage area.
A Stockholm walkway cautioning adults to hold their child’s hand when close to the highway. I definitely agree with this one.
I will never live in a city where double doorways are needed because of the weather.

Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) has been a huge help in writing the blog this time. I have used Chat GPT on occasion with great results. For example it taught me how to type those funky letters like ü, æ, and ø. Thank you Chat GPT. It also made our lives easier in other ways, for example we were at the SAS lounge at the Copenhagen Airport waiting for our flight to Stockholm. We weren’t sure exactly where we needed to go, how to get there, and how long it would take. I got this reply:

Gate B10 at Copenhagen Airport is located in Concourse B, which is part of the Schengen area. The SAS Lounge is situated in Terminal 3, near Gate C10, also within the Schengen area. The walk between the SAS Lounge and Gate B10 typically takes about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your walking pace. Both locations are airside, so you won’t need to pass through additional security or passport control when moving between them. Amazing, no?

Did I need to come to Scandinavia to get a Route 66 sign?
Going to Toftaholm was a challenge.

Google Translate was a huge help. See below.

Not sure if I already showed you this painting from the restaurant in the Grand Hotel in Olso. If I did, it deserves a second look because the service there was represented by this scene. They definitely were working as if that is where their heads were located.
This is something I thought was very cool. Notice the big numbers next to the store name. Those are the store hours. This store is open 9-21 (2100 meaning 9 pm) and 1800 (6 pm) on Sundays.

And finally, we saw a variety of types of restaurants, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Indian, and we even saw a Scottish restaurant. See below.

And lastly, for Eric.

See you next trip.