TravelsandEscapes

If you’re not taking the ferry, and you want some tips for an easier flight…check these out.

Airlines update prices for their online tickets about every 15 minutes. This leaves you a very small window in which to get the best prices. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days of the week to buy tickets. Prices will be higher on Friday through Monday.

Make copies of all your important documents before going, from passports to credit cards to itinerary. Then leave copies at home with someone you can contact.

Remember to take all stickers or tags off your luggage from previous trips. This will lessen your bag going to Seattle when you really wanted it to end up with you in Sienna.

Check to see if your airline charges more for checked luggage at the ticket counter than if you checked it online. You can pay for your checked bag 24 hours in advance from home, usually a cheaper cost.

If you are headed to London, don’t miss the annual Mayor’s Thames Festival September 12 to 13. Food, dancing, music, fireworks, a night carnival and river pageant highlight this festival. Check it out at www.thamesfestival.org/weekend/highlights.

If Austria is your destination, head to the city of St. Johann for the Dumpling Festival September 19. A total of 22 different types of dumplings will be served and an estimated 20,000 eaten. Apparently the dough balls are made according to traditional recipes.

Go to www.ferienregion.at for more info.

Want some October festival in the US? Fredericksburg, Texas, will celebrate its German heritage this year with an Oktoberfest from October 2 to 4. The motto of this year’s festival, a little cousin to the famous beer bash in Munich, is “Plenty of Gemuetlichkeit”, a German word meaning “congeniality”, sort of.

New Braunfels, Texas, will hold its 49th Wurstfest from October 30 to November 8.

Check out www.oktoberbestinfbg.com or www.wurstfest.com.

Supposedly you can see from the Golden Gate to the High Sierra to the Central Valley from atop Mt. Diablo.

One of California’s Jays sits in the tree above. Can you spot him?

The top…

Geographers claim hikers can see more of the earth’s surface from the top of Mt. Diablo than from any other peak in the world with only one exception…Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.

Considering the relatively short height, 3,849 feet, you wonder why? The mountain rises solo and very abruptly from its surroundings. Combined with the fact that the land surrounding it, the San Francisco Bay and Central Valley, are nearly flat makes the far reaching panorama all the more impressive. Therefore, quite the lengthy view.

You climb over and through bizarre, wind sculpted rock formations along the way to the summit. This area is called Rock City.

The mountain is also different in that you climb over successively older and older rocks on the way to the summit, which is the exact opposite of the usual progression. The rocks that long ago formed an ancient sea bed have been tilted upside down and pushed up by hard red Franciscan rocks.

All in all…an impressive place with an amazing view. Today we could see San Francisco, the Golden Gate, the Central Valley and the High Sierras…depending which way we looked. It was almost too clear to get good photos!

Thinking about Disney World this fall or winter? Want to make sure you get to see the parades, fireworks and other evening spectacles? Everyone knows their shows are fabulous so of course everyone wants to watch them. This means crowds of people everywhere you want to be, right?

Want some insider tips?

Know your show times… IllumiNations runs every night at Epcot at 9. Parades and fireworks can vary as they are more frequent in summer and during holidays. If you are visiting in the off season, check those times and plan accordingly. You can visit Disney’s calendar page, enter the date you are visiting and the whole day’s entertainment schedule will pop up.

Timing is key… If you want to sit curbside for a parade, arrive at least 45 minutes early. For Fantasmic! you’ll need to be at the stadium an hour early on a busy day.

Location…Location… The crowds are always thinner in Frontierland than along Main Street. The bridge between Tomorrowland and Main Street is the perfect place to watch Tinker Bell’s flight and the fireworks. The lagoon at Illulminations has plenty of good viewing, but make sure you’re not under a tree that will limit your view of the fireworks. Know what to expect… Mickey rides the first float at the Magic Kingdom, so don’t run late if you want to see him. The final fireworks salvo at Illuminations is not to be missed.

On a budget… Don’t pay for park-hopper tickets just so you can watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Instead stop by the beach at the Polynesian Resort across the Seven Seas Lagoon. You won’t be able to see the parade from here but the fireworks view is spectacular. Plus a beach is more comfortable than a curb! And if you have little ones, the noise level is much better.

Random shots up the hill in Sausalito

The Harbor

Boats

More boats and…

More boats

Lake Tahoe, a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains, is the largest alpine lake in North America.

This lake is 1,645 feet deep, making it the second deepest lake in North America. Crater Lake is the only lake deeper.

Formed about 2 million years ago Lake Tahoe is known for its water clarity. Of course the panorama of mountains on all sides makes Lake Tahoe one of the most picturesque scenes.

Some sources list Tahoe as the 8th deepest lake in the world while another source lists it at the 16th deepest.

At any rate, it’s almost impossible to count all the shades of blue as you look out over the lake.

Her name is Shanti. She’s a Snow Leopard.

And she is beautiful. You really should visit her at the Sacramento Zoo.

Before traveling abroad, credit card companies suggest you give them a call. After all, who wants a waiter telling you your card has been declined…when in reality your credit card company is just protecting you?

It’s also a good idea to check your credit cards’ expiration dates. If the date is close, give them a call to request a new one sooner. Some companies cut those dates pretty close. While you’re at it, ask the company what is the best number to get a hold of them once outside the US. It’s a good bet the 800 number on the back won’t work after you leave the US. You could always put that number in your cell phone so you have it. Just list it under something you will remember and not the credit card company name.

Don’t forget to save your receipts. You will probably never need them, but it’s better to have them. If your bill looks high, you can always double check it against your receipts.

Did you know that many countries are switching to “chip and PIN’ technology instead of the magnetic strip on the back of the card? With that in mind, some vending spots may not recognize the magnetic strip or they may have a minimum purchase on the transaction.

Solution…always carry some cash. You won’t need much but some is definitely a good idea.

Aliki’s Produce is literally just down the street from me. This doesn’t really qualify as a travel destination…

These Heirloom Tomatoes weigh in at 2 1/2 pounds each. And check out the fresh figs in the background.

Seeds for this curly leaf basil were saved several years ago by Aliki and now she has “heirloom basil”. I don’t know if that is what it’s called…but my house now smells like an Italian trattoria.

Baskets and baskets of fresh produce…paper thin skinned garlic, smooth globe shaped onions, peppers in an artist’s pallet of colors, fat green pea pods and squash in shapes and sizes that just beg to be touched fill the table.

Melons so sweet…this may not be a travel destination…but the reward is just as great when I get home.

Dinner tonight…bruschetta with fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic, figs with goat cheese, melon salad with fresh mint leaves, and pasta with grilled peppers. Who’s coming?

Do you have frequent flier miles accumulating and don’t know how or if you can use them? Some programs are confusing and frustrating. But the airlines give away millions of trips and upgrades every year, so someone is cashing in on those miles. Why is that?

The supply of seats is constantly changing according to supply and demand according to the airlines. It makes sense that these award seats should be more available in a recession, but in reality…it’s just the opposite.

Planes ran about 86% full in July of this year, leaving only a few seats for award travelers. Plus, airlines wait until the very last minute to offer award seats. They want their planes to be full.

Best advice I have been given when using award miles…book about 330 days in advance (when airlines make those seats available) OR book late (within 2 weeks of travel when airlines may release unsold seats).

Do NOT try to book popular destinations at popular times AND use award miles. Just won’t work! Hawaii at Christmas…nope not going to happen.

I call the airline’s reservation center to book my award trips. Sure, it costs me a $25 booking fee…but that’s not bad for a ticket to my destination.

More tips tomorrow…