Tag: VickieTravelz

Alaska in February – Alyeska Resort

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This is a beautiful resort.  Parking is limited so be prepared to walk from the overflow parking lot which is not so easy to locate so ask the parking attendant before you leave the drop-off area and be certain to drop off your luggage at the door, don’t try to carry it from the car.

The view from our Deluxe room is beautiful.

Food here is very good and the portions are huge, plenty to share.  Plan to spend about $15 per entree, breakfast or dinner, in the Aurora restaurant.

Most of the people we met are here to ski – several people here for a convention (great convention space).  

An avalanche had closed the roads to the North and to the South so our plans for the day were changed and we got to hang out at the resort.  We could hear them  blasting the snow to avoid additional avalanches, had some locals explaining everything to us – very interesting.

I am a bit (a lot) afraid of those trams that go up the mountain but I had heard so much about this one, we had to go.  We were stuffed (claustrophobic ?) into the tram with all the skiers and their equipment.   I didn’t see anything on the way up but did have to hold onto the overhead handle one time when we went over the tower area, not a fan of the big swing.

At the top, we headed up the stairs and went to see what all the fuss was about.  OH MY WORD, beautiful cannot even describe it.  We just stood in awe – then of course we took pictures.

Travel Tip 1: Get the Ride & Eat tram ticket – costs $10 more and you get a $20 meal voucher.

We split a meal and spent the rest on drinks.  The view is amazing so we sat and looked out as we enjoyed another delicious meal and some local brews.

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Alaska in February – Girdwood to Anchorage

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This is a beautiful drive – the train tracks are along the side of the road for much of the way so we are going to assume the ride on the train is also amazing.  Be sure to sit on the side next to the water, the right side when traveling south.

We had bad weather driving from Anchorage to Girdwood and good weather driving back.  Do NOT be afraid to drive slowly, there are passing lanes in several locations along the way.

Both drives were stunning.  There are several picture spots along the way so you can get out and take pictures.

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Alaska in February – Travel Day

We decided to drive to Orlando on the day of the flight instead of the night before – not recommended.  

Travel Tip 1:  Drive the night before, stay in the hotel – you will get more sleep in the hotel than in your own bed when you are concerned about waking up early and hitting traffic on the drive.

Travel Tip 2:  Alaska Air desk opens about 2 1/2 hours before the first flight and if you are checking a bag you must join the line, plan accordingly.

Travel Tip 3: TSA precheck, highly recommended.

This was our first time flying out of the Orlando Airport – nice airport.  Our credit card gives us access to a lounge so we went and had breakfast.  We did not participate in the Mimosas and Bloody Marys but perhaps we should have.

Travel Tip 4:  When in the Orlando Airport and visiting terminal B for the lounge – stay on the return tram to the right when returning so you do not have to return through the security check-point.  International flights arriving through that terminal require different security and you don’t really want to deal with that.

Alaska Air – we paid a bit extra for the seats with the additional leg room and were blessed to have 3 seats to ourselves.  Right now you must pre-order your meals or you don’t get them.  They aren’t charged to your credit card until you get the meal but they are delivered before anything else.  You also get a snack, like a cookie or trail mix and a beverage.  The upgraded seats include complementary alcohol.  Our layover in Seattle was short and we were hoping that the luggage would make it to the new flight and it DID!!  We were very happy to have the luggage when we arrived in Anchorage.

 

 

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February 2022

North Berwick, Scotland

Just a 33 minute train ride outside of Edinburgh, is a wonderful town called North Berwick
(Pronounced: burr ik, or ber ik depending upon who you ask).

We arrived at low tide and spent about an hour exploring the beach.  The rocks are covered in different types of sea weed and some sea life (snails, etc).  They are on different areas of the beach and extend quite a way.  During high tide, they are completely covered by water.

We could see the Firth of Forth, Bass Rock and other islands in the distance.  Continue reading North Berwick, Scotland

Arthur’s Seat – Edinburgh, Scotland

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Just behind Hoolyrood Palace is a nice park and a series of “mountains” and cliffs.  The highest of these is called Authur’s Seat.  We set out from our hotel, walked 1/2 mile down the Royal Mile (downhill) to the park.

If you are smart, you would stop at the information center and get a map of the trails to the top.  We stopped here after we descended so we could see where we had gone.

Continue reading Arthur’s Seat – Edinburgh, Scotland

Royal Botanical Gardens – Edinburgh, Scotland

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We walked downhill all the way from the city center to the Royal Botanical Gardens.  For some reason we went to the main gate instead of the East Gate, which means we walked the entire length of the garden on the outside of the fence.  We did get to see part of the park beside it as we walked by,  it looked like a flat area.

They sell garden maps for 1 pound.  The garden has many signs but if you don’t Continue reading Royal Botanical Gardens – Edinburgh, Scotland

Scotland’s Sheep Farm & Sheep Dogs

We got to visit a sheep farm today. The farm has over 3000 sheep and has quite a bit of land.  We only saw the hillside and the area where they did the demonstration.

It was chilly and raining a little bit so we were all in our jackets with umbrellas.  Just as our tour guide, April, predicted – the sheep didn’t care, the dogs didn’t care and the shepherd ignored it.

The dogs are so anxious to round up the sheep!  They are low to the ground and look like they are going to attack but they don’t.  They run so fast! Continue reading Scotland’s Sheep Farm & Sheep Dogs

Credit Cards / Debit Cards when traveling

Do not forget to notify your credit card company when you are traveling.  It would be unfortunate if your card was flagged for possible fraud and you were out of town or even out of the country.  Bring 2 cards with you for this reason.

Debit Cards – use at ATMs to get local currency, conversion rates for the day’s activity are used.  Make sure you know if there are any fees.

Credit Cards – Companies do not have to use the current day’s exchange rate and you may pay a higher exchange rate than you anticipated.  Also, some companies charge a fee for this service.

When looking for a travel card, look at your local credit unions.  Our local credit union does not charge a currency exchange fee.  Also, the Visa Check Card can act as either a debit card or a credit card.  If you don’t already have an account at a credit union, open one and use it just for travel.  Our local credit union can now print your Debit Card on-site.  Since Credit Unions are actually owned by the users, they usually do not have fees or have much lower fees.

 

updated 11/8/23