Valuable Lessons Learned on Our Cycling Adventure...

* Jimmy is not only a great pack mule, but he’s also great at hand washing laundry.

* It’s amazing how setting up a laundry line quickly knocks a few stars off of a 5-star hotel.

* I can actually survive being away for 10 days with just one small bag of clothes.
* Just buying maps doesn’t count as preparing for a cycling trip--you must actually open those maps before leaving town.

* We may be old, but we’re still able to be spontaneous.

* It’s not the end of the world if you lose a few prepaid hotel rooms or train tickets.

* Don’t forget the bungee cords!

Valuable Lessons Learned in India - Part 3

* When you need to regroup, escape to a 5-star hotel.

Although we still hadn’t fully figured out the con, we decided we needed somewhere comfortable to get our wits back. To the disappointment of our scammers, we had our taxi drive us to the nearest 5-star hotel. There we had a nice breakfast and called Davinder for his advice. The next real train wasn’t until 5pm, so we opted to have him arrange for a private driver. The 3.5 hour train ride then turned into a 4.5 hour death-defying 200-mile car ride. This whole screw-up cost us an extra $150, but at least the con men didn’t benefit. And I managed to keep my eyes open during the ride as I tried to capture on film a fraction of the insanity that we saw.

While we were travelling on a toll-highway, there didn’t seem to be any vehicles prohibited. There were tractors of all sizes and fancy painted trucks. The only big rigs seemed to be oil tankers. There also weren’t any lane restrictions or lanes for that matter. Everyone used horns rather than blinkers to communicate where they were headed. It seemed very random to me, but clearly had some pattern as we didn’t see any accidents in either direction.
A variety of animals also pulled carts along the highway including horses, donkeys and cows. Clearly they weren’t able to keep up with us when we hit 60MPH on the few segments that were far enough between villages.

Valuable Lessons Learned in India - Part 2

* Being just 5 minutes late for the train is just long enough to be susceptible to a sweet talking con man.

With all of our years of international travel, you would have thought we would have seen right through the guy that told us our train had left and that he’d help us to get tickets for another train. Worse than that, not only did it take us 2 days for the full implications of his con to finally sink in, but we later discovered that our train was actually 25 minutes late. Instead, we’d already been put in taxi to a Ticket Office to book tickets for a train that didn’t actually exist. That nice reservation clerk then offered to book us a car (presumably the guy at the station would have gotten a cut). Luckily, some part of our brains started functioning again and we passed.

It’s nice that the driver’s wise enough to wear a helmet on the highway, but guess he’s not too worried about his wife or child. We failed to manage to get a photo of the many ladies carrying babies on motorcycles or the family of four with one child in front of the driver.
There was an endless parade of interesting vehicles on the shoulder of the highway including these wheelchair cycles. Sorry, but also missed taking a photo of the fellow walking two monkeys.

Valuable Lessons Learned in India - Part I

I usually wait to end my entries about a trip with the Valuable Lessons Learned, but as we started learning our lessons as soon as we arrived, it seems more appropriate to start here.

* Telling a taxi driver there’s an extra tip if he drives fast is not a great idea if your wife’s nerves are already frazzled.

Our flight was 2.5 hours late and it took a ridiculous amount of time to get through customs; after very little sleep, we were already dazed. Rather than having a relaxed 3.5 hours between our flight and our train trip to where the wedding was being held, we had a tense 20 minutes to get to the train station. While Jimmy found the taxi ride exhilarating, I found it horrifying; I spent much of it with my eyes closed as I feared not just for our lives, but for the many people that crossed our paths in cars, on bikes or on foot. Amazingly, we survived and arrived only 5 minutes late.

Rickshaws are used throughout India, but no idea why they were allowed on the highway. We never did manage to ride in a bike rickshaw, but had many rides in auto rickshaws (which are actually 3-wheeled scooters with a vinyl roof and back and cloth on one side. They all had meters in them like real taxis, but were never used. We always made sure that the fare was agreed upon before getting in (a 40-minute ride cost under $5, so a very economical way to get around).

Valuable Lessons Learned in Barcelona...

* Trusting an 8-year-old with a GPS can lead to double backing on the trail to recover it. 

* If your hungry family eats too much sushi, you’ll eventually be escorted out of the all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant.

* You need to save more than just a few bucks to justify flying out of Brussels with the extra stress to get to the airport on time and the ridiculous food prices at the airport.

Valuable Lessons Learned in Switzerland...

* The family car on the train should be off limits to anyone over 10. Of course, that didn’t stop my crazy kids from going down the slide just to say they did.

* There’s obviously more demand for cooked fish than raw--all you can eat sushi costs $70 per person, which needless to say, we refused to pay.



* Swiss cows are in better shape than me as demonstrated by their ability to climb up into the mountains effortlessly.

Valuable Lessons Learned in Garmisch...

* When a downhill mountain biking junior champion says a hill is steep, believe him. No idea why we still let the bike rental guy at the hotel talk us into riding up to the Eibsee, the lake above at 3,000 foot elevation. Turned out that the bike lane was covered with ice, so we ended up pushing the bikes alongside the road for 1.25 miles up a 13% grade (granted, Jimmy did most of the pushing) only to find out the trail around the beautiful lake was also covered in ice and I was too much of a wimp to try it. I did overcome my fears of downhills enough to ride my brakes all the down.

* Jimmy would fight a bear for me. While on our hike, we came across a set of large animal tracks in the snow that appeared out of nowhere. I thought they were a large dog, but Jimmy thought they were bear despite that bears usually hibernate during winter. He tried not to scare me, but secretly plotted how he’d distract the bear so I could get away. Turns out there are no bears in that part of the Alps, but it’s good to know that my man would defend me.

Valuable Lessons Learned with the Huskies...

* There’s a reason why the cardinal rule is: Whatever happens, don’t let go. Apparently, I didn’t brake quite enough coming into a turn and it looked like we were going to flip. I attempted to adjust my weight to straighten us out and the next thing I knew, I was laying in the snow and the sled with my sweet daughters was flying away from me.
* Trying to run in the snow when dressed like an Oompa-Loompa is futile.
* When there’s an emergency, I can scream for help (unlike in dreams when I open my mouth and nothing comes out).
* My daughters are very brave. Actually, they didn’t realize I was gone at first, but stayed calm and screamed for help when they saw I wasn’t there. They never cried and, most importantly, weren’t afraid to continue on.
* Falling off a dog sled is a good way to get a free snowmobile ride. When we zoomed ahead, the sled was already stopped as the dogs had gotten tangled and were fighting. They might work together as a team, but that doesn’t mean they get along.

Valuable Lessons Learned - Part 9

* Don’t use the shower to judge if the water in the house is still turned off unless everyone in the house knows the difference between on and off. After deciding we didn’t want to stay in a house without water, we had a rude awakening when we returned the next day from Darlene’s. The first hint that something was wrong was water on the kitchen counter. Then I noticed the sound of water running. Turns out the shower was on full power at 100 degrees for over 12 hours! Our 2nd floor was like an indoor sauna. Thank God for Darlene--she stayed with me and helped squeegee the walls and ceiling for 2 hours.
* Don’t try making homemade soup when you’re already stressed out. After spending the afternoon cleaning the water off the 2nd floor, I got to clean tomato soup off the kitchen walls when I put too much in the blender and couldn’t hold the top on. Next time I’ll buy pureed tomatoes in a can.

Valuable US Transport Lessons

* When you borrow a friend’s car, it’s best to make sure they have a spare key. Sadly, I managed to lose Steve’s BMW key somewhere in his house. Luckily Steve has a good sense of humor, only works 2 miles from home and enjoyed having James chauffeur him in another car we borrowed (although somehow we failed to remember to mention this incident to that friend). $100 later, Steve now has 2 new keys.
* The doors to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) don’t open just because you shove your arm through as they’re closing. Luckily we weren’t injured, but quite a panic ensued after Veronica jumped onto the subway and the door closed before Ashlynn and I were able to get on. It was a bit ironic that after 20 months of riding the rails, we manage to finally get separated on our first outing in California. I was admonished by the BART employee for banging on the doors especially since it turned out that the doors would have reopened anyways because the train wasn’t leaving for another 3 minutes (although there was no sign to that effect).

Valuable Lessons Learned - Part 8

* Don't try to squeeze 4 adults in a canoe with only 3 seats unless you like to get wet. When Jimmy did this when he hared a Hague Hash, he was very lucky that everyone dunked had a good sense of humor. We were all shocked how fast the canoe capsized and how quickly the 8 beers on board sunk; of course, Jimmy was harassed more for losing the beers than dunking the hashers. Since we missed getting a photo of the action, those involved did an reenactment during the circle.

* When getting on a train with visitors, make sure you actually read the sign before boarding the train. Not only is it embarrassing to be on a train that goes blowing past your station, but you’ll get to hear “Is this is the right train?” for the rest of their visit.

Valuable Lessons Learned - Part 7

* Trying to jump a curb from a parallel position on a granny bike is a great way to fall. To add insult to injury, when people come rushing over speaking Dutch, it's impossible to tell if they're offering help or just making fun of how you ride a bike (or in this case, crash your bike). As much as you'd like to cry, you have to get up and pretend nothing's wrong. And of course, you have to get back on that horse (or in this case, crashed bike) because you have to get home to pick the girls up from school. (Luckily my bike wasn't damaged, so I chose this one for demonstration purposes.)

* When the tram driver starts making unexpected announcements, it would be a good idea to ask someone for a translation. Assuming he's just telling useless information instead of a direction change is a great way to be late for school pickup in the middle of a storm.

Valuable Lessons Learned - Part 6

* When meeting your dad's oldest friend, who just happens to be jazz pianist Chick Corea, remembering to bring the digital camera along to the concert in Amsterdam isn't enough. You also have to remember to bring a memory card. Luckily Chick's personal assistant had a camera phone handy; seeing that meager camera gave Jimmy a great excuse to volunteer to play photographer at their Rotterdam concert a few nights later.

* Don't trust the train schedules on New Year's Eve. Luckily, we didn't learn this the hard way, but two of our guests did. Kathy and her daughter had the fun of watching the 1:30am train go by and not stop for them. To make things more interesting, the riot police were nearby dealing with some rowdy youths (thankfully, this type of insanity only tends to happen on New Year's Eve). Luckily the fellow cleaning up broken glass from his business outside the station helped her by calling a cab. After an expensive cab ride, she'll remember another lesson--if a friend offers a bed late at night, take it.

Valuable Lessons Learned in France...

* Make sure the Chateau doors are securely closed. After taking photos of the icy sunrise, one of the doors was left ajar and this little finch found his way inside. Guess he liked the warmth because opening the windows didn't help to coax him outside, so Jimmy had to catch him.

* If someone says "GROSS" while walking through the Paris Metro, trust them. Whatever they've seen will definitely be gross, so there's no need to actually turn your head and be tortured by sights best unseen.

Valuable Lessons Learned in Spain...

* I should have paid more attention to Senor Flores in middle school Spanish class. While I was shocked how many basic words came back to me (una mas cervaza, por favor), it would have been nice to have been able to converse in Spanish.

* It's OK to have chocolate for dinner when in a country famous for its chocolate. What's better than dark chocolate fondue with fruit along with hot dark chocolate milk so thick you have to eat it with a spoon?

* When you happen upon a smoke-free restaurant, you're so thrilled that you don't really care about the food. Granted, the tapas restaurant that we found was very affordable and tasty, but didn't serve tapas as we expected. Basically they were all mini sandwiches, including the dessert shown which was a chocolate bar served on a warm baguette.

Valuable Lessons Learned in Luxembourg - Part 2

* If only we had saved all those wine bottles from the Chateau, we too could have zip-tied our own cool piece of art. This particular one filled up an entire room in the new Luxembourg Modern Art Museum. The architecture of the museum was definitely as interesting as the art and often a lot easier to understand. Designed by I.M. Pei, who designed the infamous Louvre Pyramids, it includes an incredible amount of glass and has walkways over 13th century ruins.

* Not all train stations are created equally. We're quite spoiled in Holland because many of the stations have mini-marts and sandwich shops, but in Luxembourg we had several changes of trains in abandoned stations in the middle of nowhere. At least the scenery was pretty.

Valuable Lessons Learned - Part 5

* Don't forget to bring snacks along if you ever do a race without an entry fee. Imagine our surprise when we finished a recent 5K that we were offered water and radishes at the end. Guessing the mastermind that had the brainstorm 0f giving runners 1-calorie radishes has never run in his life. Of course, you get what you pay for.

* Unless you enjoy waiting needlessly for hours at an airport or train station, it's best not to try surprising travellers who don't carry a cell phone. Somehow Jimmy managed to sneak out another door from customs at the airport and we managed to duck into a cab at a British train station thus leaving the other to wait.

Valuable Lessons Learned in England while Staying at a US Air Force Base...

* When ordering a British beer, you'll notice that it's been imported from England through South Carolina. This might be normal for most US Air Force Bases around the world, but when you're actually in England it seems pretty wasteful.

* After spending time in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world, you'll be thankful for staying somewhere that accepts good old greenbacks. It was a strange place to see the new $10 bill for the 1st time.

* It's possible to do laundry while on vacation without complaining when you have access to full-size US washer/dryers for the first time in almost a year.

* Bowling starts looking really good when there's a lack of nearby entertainment. It's amazing how much your score can improve when you finally give in and start banking your ball off the alley bumpers set up for the kiddies.

Valuable Lessons Learned in England...

* Do not break your husband's digital camera the night before leaving for vacation.

* Just because folks speak English doesn't mean you'll understand them. Ironically, since it had been 10 months since I'd been in an English-speaking country, it took me about 3 days to get used to the fact that people would actually understand me. However, when we ran into a hasher on a train, his accent was so thick that we only understood about half of what he said.

* Do not attempt to travel by train to/from London over the weekend, since that's a great time to do work on the tracks. After spending time on the British trains, we have a whole new appreciation of the efficiency of the Dutch trains.

* Do not bring your family toiletry kit on a business trip unless you're prepared to break the news to your wife that you've had to dump most of her toiletries because you've forgotten that you have them in your carry-on baggage when boarding a flight in England.

Valuable Lessons Learned - Part 4

* If you take canoes out on a windy day, remember that rowing backwards won't get you home. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo after Jimmy and Dave had to flag down a motor boat and beg for a tow home for both canoes. When this photo was taken, Jimmy and Tony intentionally towed the kids into town and back, while Vivynne and I enjoyed a leisurely kid-free bike ride.

* Make sure you have a few extra cold brews in the frig in case you have unexpected visitors such as your rescuers.