Amsterdam, December 9

Hi John, I am presently staying on a houseboat located off the Ijburg southeast of Amsterdam. My rental unit includes the boat’s wheel house and I have phenomenal views of the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal. While it takes twenty minutes to walk to the tram once I am on the bus it only takes fifteen minutes to get downtown. I find that the transit system is easy to use however I buy my train tickets separately from my transit pass because point to point tickets are cheaper. While I enjoy the natural surroundings of the area the houseboat is moored in I have been able to appreciate the art galleries, museums and history. Everyone here is extremely fit and they dress fashionably. This is the country to buy fantastic boots! -Therese

November 21, 2013

Yesterday we toured Caesar's Palace and the MGM Grand Hotel. Our lunch was at the "Gordon Ramsey" restaurant in the casino at Caesars. Before dinner I went up to the Mandalay Bay Hotel and visited "Shark Reef". It blows me away that you can view sharks, rays, squid and other marine life in the desert.
On the way home from dinner I was able to score a ticket for "Äbsinthe" which plays in a circus tent located in front of Caesars.

November 20, 2013

November 20, 2013 The Venetian changes their décor and employ themes to their events for Christmas. Last night there were concerts in the different squares as well as seasonal menus at a couple restaurants.

 

November 19, 2013 Las Vegas

I flew into Las Vegas this morning with Air Canada Rouge and got to sample their inflight meal and entertainment services. Our first stop after leaving the airport was the Tropicana Hotel where we I a site inspection and were treated to lunch in their café. The rooms were really big and the property was very clean. They have beautiful loft suites which have in an in room bar, sauna and whirlpool tub. After lunch we transferred to The Venetian Hotel and toured the suites at the Palazzo and Venetian. This evening the group had tickets to see Zarkana by Cirque du Soleil. The show had a gigantic cast an there was always something happening on the stage.

September 24, G Adventures "The Future of Tourism"

Last night I attended a presentation hosted by "G Adventures". It highlighted the company's brand by highlighting "Planeterra Foundations" projects, the announcement of 2013's "G Project" winner and industry release of "Looptail: How One Company Changed the World by Reinventing Business". While the presentation was geared to the younger travellers (they incoporated an interactive element by broadcasting viewer tweets) their values resonated throughout the audience.

Freedom Trail Run, September 8, 2013

I joined our guide Shelly at the corner of Boston Common for a running tour of the Freedom Trail. It was a phenomenal tour: we covered a lot of sites in a short period of time and she was very good at keeping us on schedule. She and another runner, Dan, gave me some suggestions about areas to stay in and restaurants to enjoy. I used the subway to get to the meeting point and to return.

Quincy Market

Statue of Paul Revere with the North Church in the background.

Boston, September 7, 2013

Disembarkation was very easy and the airport is located across the channel from the Cruise Port. There is a tunnel connecting both sites. It costs 25.00 to travel by taxi from the airport to the Prudential (Sheraton). In the afternoon I met a guide at the Capitol and did a walking tour of Beacon Hill. The tour included a lot of background about their political figures and the Federal style of architecture. We heard about the Mount Vernon Proprietors Group (Hepzibah Swan, Charles Thurlogh)who developed the real estate in the area during the mid 1800's. There were historic homes on Beacon Hill, Chestnut Street, Mount Vernon Street and Louisburg Square (which has a private park) There were initially three large Hills in Boston, Beacon, Tremont and Vernon but they were all scraped down to fill in Back Bay. Later in the afternoon I went on a walking tour of Back Bay. We started at Trinity Church on Copley Square. The Back Bay area was initially a tidal Basin that was filled in with soil from Newsome Heights during the mid 1800s. The foundations of the buildings are fortified with wooden piles which have to stay submerged in water so that they do not rot. The city is careful to monitor the water table so that the piles beneath the buildings stay submerged. Most of the significant Buildings were designed by HH Richardson. Saw the John Hancock Buildings which are all reflected in the new tower (66 stories). Went on a "Duck Tour" and saw the St Charles River as well as North Boston/Cambridge.

Acorn Street