Friends, family living in ideal areas

[shootingstar]

for vacation planning purposes. :D

Long ago, I turned down several invitations to places where good friends and family members lived due to primarily work-related reasons. So I passed up: New York City, Cambridge (in England) and Germany. (latter is still possible with dearie having family there).

I wouldn't stay my whole time in a desired vacation spot at a friends's/family member's place, but it is nice to go somewhere and combine personal visits plus see the area. Divide home stayover nights with some hotel/motel.

So now in our lifetime we hope to plot to visit :

*a mountain ski resort in British Columbia - a couple that we know well, live there year-round. They urged us...again to visit.
*mid-eastern coast of Vancouver Island (near a rainforest :))- another couple plans to relocate there. Plus I have a childhood friend who relocated south of there in the Vancouver Island winery area.
*Toronto- which is a city I lived in but I do miss certain things there that Vancouver does not offer. My whole family lives there.
*Germany- he's getting abit bored of his original country. :o But maybe one day..do a bike route crossing that country ..into another country.

Of course, several good friends and family members have visited Vancouver, BC for stayovers. We urge them to and enjoy showing them the area. :) Yes, we usually do include a little local bike trip around.

[tulip]

When I was married, my DH's family lived in France. Great, right? Free place to stay in Paris, right? At first, yes. But it got old, very old. Since I only had 2 weeks of vacation every year, we always went to visit his family. We rarely went on a vacation that was not family-oriented. I got to really resent it, despite being a complete Francophile. I wanted my own vacation, one that did not involve the MIL!

Got it now:rolleyes::(;):D:eek::p (that's a mix of emotions).

[papaver]

I had a very good friend in beautiful Norway... never went. http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/konfus/n015.gif She's back in Belgium.

I have a friend in Notting Hill... never went. http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/konfus/n015.gif But I still have time... I think. :D

I have family in Canada... never went. http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/konfus/n015.gif

Family in Spain... never went http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/konfus/n015.gif But I'm not so Spain minded so I'll probably never go...


BUT if i had friends in Italy (which i don't have) I would go every year... :D
Same goes for France :D

[Cataboo]

I have a hard time sometimes with the visiting relatives/friends. I think it's rude to visit someone without hanging out with them... Yes, I love visiting my family or friends. However, my idea of a vacation vs. their idea of a vacation is different. They don't want to kayak or ride their bike everywhere. I have relatives all over Scotland, and there's a ton of things that I'd love to do in Scotland... but I usually end up spending most of the time visiting elderly relatives and while I don't begrude them that because I know I don't have many more years to visit them while they're alive... I'd love to hike the west highland trail, kayak the isles, or something like that.

I had a bf whose family lived in Belgium... spent a lot of time visiting them, and when I was over... they wanted to have great big huge family dinners that took 12 hours... Or visit his 102 year old grandmother in the nursing home... Which was great - but I wanted to see the country. Then all his friends from childhood would want to see him. And while they all spoke english, they typically would speak flemish while together and I usually had no idea what was going on. It also meant that anytime we went through Europe, we had to take a few days through Belgium... Which after a while kind of irked me and I would fly home earlier instead about half the time.

One of my scottish cousins has a ski lodge at ski resort in Canada - and he's great if I visit. He works or he's not there, and I go ski - maybe we ski together a few days - and we meet in the evenings for food. I have other friends that live near ski resorts that I find constraining when I visit - because if I'm on a ski vacation I really really want to ski every day because that's not something I can do where I live. But if the person you're visiting doesn't feel like skiing or wants to do something else or thinks that the snow isn't worth skiing on (since they live near snow, they can afford to be picky)... It gets frustrating. In the latter case, I really would rather just pay for lodging.

It's sometimes easier if the people you're visiting work regular hours, so you can get away with doing your own thing.

[papaver]

Oh and I have a good friend who lives in and owns this place in Zambia

http://www.kaingu-lodge.com/

Would love to visit.

[papaver]

I had a bf whose family lived in Belgium... spent a lot of time visiting them, and when I was over... they wanted to have great big huge family dinners that took 12 hours... Or visit his 102 year old grandmother in the nursing home... Which was great - but I wanted to see the country. Then all his friends from childhood would want to see him. And while they all spoke english, they typically would speak flemish while together and I usually had no idea what was going on. It also meant that anytime we went through Europe, we had to take a few days through Belgium... Which after a while kind of irked me and I would fly home earlier instead about half the time.


Typical Belgian behavior I'm afraid. I'm not like that fortunately. I like to be on my own too and visit stuff and not just hang around with people.

[shootingstar]

It's sometimes easier if the people you're visiting work regular hours, so you can get away with doing your own thing.

Very true. When visiting and staying with family, I usually let them define certain key activities for me to join them. Then they prefer we entertain ourselves rest of the time ..by cycling since they must get on with their daily lives. It works out well so far since my family is health-conscious oriented ..so they understand need for daily exercise. Some of them practice yoga, jog or do pilates on their own time.

Papaver: If there is a link to dearie's cousin's hotel & restaurant in Black Forest region in Germany, I'll give it later. :D In family since 1700's.

[papaver]

o cool. Thanx shootingstar. ;)

[shootingstar]

papaver:

Inn has been around since 1750.
It's in German. http://www.rebstock-waldulm.de/launch.htm but with lovely pics and reasonable prices. Dearie translated for me..just now.

Under the link at website "Die Region" there are automatic photos of the views from inn...which is on the side of steep hill vineyard area in Germany. His cousin is the chef of restaurant also and has been reviewed in a German foodie or travel magazine. The inn/restaurant is approx. 30 kms. away from Strausborg, France where there is a well-known cathedral.

This is the first time dearie saw his cousin's revamped website. Wonders of the Internet. Now we're going to shoot off the link to dearie's son who is a chef in Toronto and definitely does cook cheffy-like :):) even though he can't read German.

Now you know, that elegant cooking and baking....genuinely is a family tradition and highly valued. My comments about quality food/cuisine both German ..(and Asian, since there have been restaurant owners in my extended family also) are for real.

[papaver]

Oh I can read and understand German quite well... thx for the link!

[jobob]

"If you gotta have in-laws they may as well live on Oahu"

- jobobism

[NoNo]

One of the really cool things about the car club I'm in is that even if you haven't actually met someone, you still open your home to them. In May of 07 I went over to England to meet the people from the club over there. Someone picked me up at Heathrow, took me to their house to stay for two days. Someone else picked me up from that house and took me to the hotel where the charity ball was held. People drove me around all that weekend. Then another person took me up to their house near York to stay for a few days and drove me around the area showing me the sights. It was a blast, my only housing costs were the weekend of the ball, and I got to see things that only the locals would know about. More importantly, I made some lifelong friends and look forward to returning there or opening my home to them.

In addition to the club, my mom's cousin just moved to London, after several years in Paris. I'm kind of upset I missed out seeing them in France. We also have family in Italy that I would like to meet. I talk to one of them on Facebook, and two of my cousins have gone over and met that side of the family, so at least there's some kind of link.

[sfa]

My sister and her family lived in Norway for six months this year, so of course I took the opportunity to visit them! What I didn't understand was that my sister and I were the ONLY family members to do that. My parents, other sister, and Norway-sister's husband's whole family stayed firmly planted in the US. When else are they going to have the opportunity to go to Norway with a free place to stay?

I wish I knew more people who lived in interesting places. I've lost touch with my Swiss friend (spent a lot of time with him in Lucerne 20 years ago) who has since moved to Australia. I have one friend in England, but I don't know her well enough to crash on her sofa--more of a "get together for a day if I'm around" kind of a friend. And my family lives in such exotic locales as Winston-Salem, NC and Blacksburg, VA. Sigh. Nice enough places, but not ideal vacation spots.

Sarah

[shootingstar]

My sister and her family lived in Norway for six months this year, so of course I took the opportunity to visit them! What I didn't understand was that my sister and I were the ONLY family members to do that. My parents, other sister, and Norway-sister's husband's whole family stayed firmly planted in the US. When else are they going to have the opportunity to go to Norway with a free place to stay?

Sarah

It is a shame sfa. For some people it's a huge psychological effort (and at times, cost and timing) to even plan a trip outside of North America, heck for some, even outside their own state/province. There are still some siblings who haven't visited me yet here. Will take time.

I actually have whole slew of relatives in San Francisco and these are aunts, uncles and cousins of the first order, not 2nd,3rd order. Heck, even a first cousin my age who was born a month later than I. Didn't even know until my late 20's when meeting her. But not close enough for me to phone any Frisco relative out there for even a coffee and pastry together. (no, not dim sum. Geez, coming from Vancouver....!)

One of the main reasons I've chosen so far not to visit Germany at that time when dearie was seeing relatives there, was to avoid the same situation as Catriona in Belgium. Freeze-outs due to lack of local linguisitic fluency. I know full well this living reality since my Chinese fluency has seriously eroded.

However we have entertained some German relatives since relocating here and now, I know which relatives we would be comfortable to drop by...for an "exchange" goodwill and happy visit.

[Cataboo]

I think the US really doesn't have that much of a culture of overseas travel - or out of the country. The US is huge and there's so much to see inside of it, that you can do for cheaper than going over seas and you don't have a pesky language barrier to deal with.

Although, I've really found that I do okay being a clueless tourist who only speaks english where ever I am in the world. However, it was easier traveling with the belgian bf and his french, english, flemish, german, russian, english, spanish, and italian language abilities. Even if it meant that he was speaking German to some Turkish guy up a small mountain in the middle of nowhere Turkey because that was the only language they could find in common.

But I've had people tell me that they have no desire to ever leave the US or to visit another country because they can see everything in the US... and it just boggles my mind.

[papaver]

However, it was easier traveling with the belgian bf and his french, english, flemish, german, russian, english, spanish, and italian language abilities. Even if it meant that he was speaking German to some Turkish guy up a small mountain in the middle of nowhere Turkey because that was the only language they could find in common.

That's us. :D:D:D Although it was quite funny to speak a belgian dialect in morocco with the local population really in the middle of nowhere. :D:D:D

[Veronica]

But I've had people tell me that they have no desire to ever leave the US or to visit another country because they can see everything in the US... and it just boggles my mind.

Not sure why that should be mind boggling... we have traveled extensively in the US and still have lots to see and do. Plus I want to go back to a bunch of places. I thought about a cycling vacation in Ireland next summer, but I only have ten days between the end of the school year and master's classes starting. That 17 hour plane trip each way, just isn't appealing when you only have ten days. I don't even want to waste the six hours it would take each way to fly back east. So, I'm thinking a cycling trip down the coast... yeah we did it in 1992, so it's a repeat vacation.

Veronica

[Cataboo]

Not sure why that should be mind boggling... we have traveled extensively in the US and still have lots to see and do. Plus I want to go back to a bunch of places. I thought about a cycling vacation in Ireland next summer, but I only have ten days between the end of the school year and master's classes starting. That 17 hour plane trip each way, just isn't appealing when you only have ten days. I don't even want to waste the six hours it would take each way to fly back east. So, I'm thinking a cycling trip down the coast... yeah we did it in 1992, so it's a repeat vacation.

Veronica

It's mind boggling for someone to say that they never ever think they have a reason to leave the US for their entire lives. Even if they won the lottery and never had to work again and vacation and money weren't factors... Because I've asked that when told they see no reason to ever leave the US. You're deciding against Ireland based on vacation time. But if that wasn't a factor, would you want to go see the Great Wall of China or the pyramids in egypt or fill in the blank?

Although, one of the persons that I've had this conversation with is neighbors with Sarah Palin in Alaska.

[Veronica]

Now that is weird. I have a whole slew of places... Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland... I want to go to... pesky job gets in the way. :D

Veronica

[OakLeaf]

I'm more interested in the experiential end of it. Yeah, it's fun to go to galleries and museums and see works of art that I couldn't see anywhere else... but often those works were created in different countries and cultures and time periods from where they're displayed. I'd rather eat the local food, participate in local rhythms (even when they're really disruptive to my own body as they are in Spain), see the local agriculture, do my best with the language.

Which is one of the reasons I don't have any real interest in visiting east Asia - the languages are so different from what I could manage, and many of them don't even use an alphabet that I could read. It would be impossible for me to have an unmediated experience there, without a whole lot of language study that just doesn't appeal to me right now - months of study for a vacation of a couple of weeks.

And the travel time is definitely an issue, even though it's not for lack of leisure time. I'm just not interested enough in anywhere, to make it worth more than 15-16 hours in planes and airports. Whenever they get that whole beam-me-up thing going though...

[papaver]

Isn't it easier for Europeans to travel more? We have at least 4 weeks (most of them have up to 8 weeks) paid vacation per year. If I would only have a week or 10 days I wouldn't travel too far either...or maybe not... :D

[Cataboo]

Isn't it easier for Europeans to travel more? We have at least 4 weeks (most of them have up to 8 weeks) paid vacation per year. If I would only have a week or 10 days I wouldn't travel too far either...or maybe not... :D

Well, you also really don't have to go very far to be in another country. Belgium is the size of one of our small states.

But it's normal for european or australian kids to take a year or two to travel before or after college - not the norm in the US.

[papaver]

Well, you also really don't have to go very far to be in another country. Belgium is the size of one of our small states.

But it's normal for european or australian kids to take a year or two to travel before or after college - not the norm in the US.

hehe... by traveling far I really mean outside Europe. :D For us going abroad is like riding TWO whole hours maximum to go to France, Netherlands, Luxemburg or Germany. :D I live in central Belgium so going abroad only takes me one hour max. :D

[tulip]

hehe... by traveling far I really mean outside Europe. :D For us going abroad is like riding TWO whole hours maximum to go to France, Netherlands, Luxemburg or Germany. :D I live in central Belgium so going abroad only takes me one hour max. :D

Okay, so I think I need to visit you in Belgium (an ideal area in my opinion).

[papaver]

Okay, so I think I need to visit you in Belgium (an ideal area in my opinion).

You know you're welcome. :D

[shootingstar]

I think the US really doesn't have that much of a culture of overseas travel - or out of the country. The US is huge and there's so much to see inside of it, that you can do for cheaper than going over seas and you don't have a pesky language barrier to deal with.

Although, I've really found that I do okay being a clueless tourist who only speaks english where ever I am in the world. However, it was easier traveling with the belgian bf and his french, english, flemish, german, russian, english, spanish, and italian language abilities. Even if it meant that he was speaking German to some Turkish guy up a small mountain in the middle of nowhere Turkey because that was the only language they could find in common.

But I've had people tell me that they have no desire to ever leave the US or to visit another country because they can see everything in the US... and it just boggles my mind.

When dearie is travelling in Europe but outside of the U.K., he will first use his German on a non-German local before he tries English. And it has worked 50% of time, when he was in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, etc.

Of course none of the spoken Asian languages have similarity except maybe for "tea". :D Yes, a drag especially when also one cannot read a language script.

True, that given the sheer size of Canada (bigger than U.S.) and U.S., it can be costly, there is a great deal to see with different regional differences in terms of history and environment/geography. However there is an underlying cultural sameness and ethos in North America...to me, which is Westernized. It's annoying at times, to have to travel several hundred, even over 1,000 kms., before one sees a starkly different landscape or urban/rural life.

Methinks that now the world is plugged into the Internet, it misleads us to think we have great global consciousness and real sensitive understanding of foreign cultures, languages, when we connect with people worldwide, see more 'foreign' images. Doesn't invalidate online relationships and understanding but it's an experience....under the control of each Internet user/communicator..on our own terms/time when we feel like reaching out. Not plopped suddenly into a foreign culture/linguistic group.

I mind less to be thrown into a foreign language culture where I am with friendly strangers speaking their language. It doesn't bother me as much as being part of a family where family members are speaking a language I can barely understand or don't understand at all. But then, I've lived a twilight language zone for most of my life, ...so for me to go to Quebec or to France..it actually felt ...like hanging out with my Chinese-speaking relatives: not understanding a whole lot of the language, but just enough so one doesn't feel panicky/too lost.

We have deliberately chosen to visit (and do some minor cycling also) in some parts of the U.S. that are VERY different in terms of history / environment: ie. New Mexico. There is no equivalent of the Southwest Indian history, culture and art in Canada.

And Hawaii (where I've visited twice) which I do consider, despite its American insitutions, its underlying history and culture, plus tropical lush environment (well on some parts of the islands), very different...to me ...than mainland U.S. or even California where there is high % of Asian-origin Americans.

So I guess part of me does now want travel experiences where I wouldn't normally get here in our area which already offers alot that we still haven't seen.

There are parts of the U.S. which I'm not motivated to visit. If travelling through visually, my perception would be: now how is the landscape visually different from....ie. southern Ontario? And true, if it's a sizable North American city to spend alot of time, I confess I do prefer cities with a noticeable amount of visible diversity among its locals. After being in some rural areas with homogenous populations...after awhile I get...sorry..bored. I just feel culturally stifled.

[Cataboo]

hrm. Maybe I'm easily amused or grasp at nit picky details - but while the US and Canada are Westernized, but it's fairly diverse. I've never seen it as completely the same - except from the standpoint of a starbucks and a walmart box store on every corner.

From where I live, I can go a couple hours and meet Mennonites or Amish people. I can drive 4 hours to New York city, find the Orthodox Jewish population and it's a completely different world. Or go to West Virginia or southern Virgina and seriously - West Virginians are very different. Southeners are different from New Englanders and so are people from the Midwest or the California. I wouldn't have to go far to find a section of town that's completely Haitian or Vietnamese or Chinese or hispanic... The spanish influence on architecture and history in the south vs. what you get in the northern states is quite different. Then there's the history of the various indian tribes around the US.

Ecosystems are completely different across the US.

When I visit Canada - I notice definite differences in culture that goes way beyond they say eh a lot more up there. You can see a definite British influence around Toronto or Vancouver - just from the point of views of gardening or gardens alone... Quebec is definitely completely different from the US... our closest French influenced area is New Orleans, and obviously... new Orleans is way different from Quebec in development and where the french ancestry has branched.


Yes, it feels like a completely different world when I'm in Asia or a third world country somewhere... But it also is a completely different world when I'm in the middle of Alabama or West Virginia, or in an inner city Ghetto, or in the hispanic sections of Los Angeles.

I find it much more exotic to leave the country on a vacation - but I also really appreciate the differences within the US ecosystem or people wise...

[shootingstar]

hrm. Maybe I'm easily amused or grasp at nit picky details - but while the US and Canada are Westernized, but it's fairly diverse. I've never seen it as completely the same - except from the standpoint of a starbucks and a walmart box store on every corner.

From where I live, I can go a couple hours and meet Mennonites or Amish people. I can drive 4 hours to New York city, find the Orthodox Jewish population and it's a completely different world. Or go to West Virginia or southern Virgina and seriously - West Virginians are very different. Southeners are different from New Englanders and so are people from the Midwest or the California. I wouldn't have to go far to find a section of town that's completely Haitian or Vietnamese or Chinese or hispanic... The spanish influence on architecture and history in the south vs. what you get in the northern states is quite different. Then there's the history of the various indian tribes around the US.

Ecosystems are completely different across the US.

When I visit Canada - I notice definite differences in culture that goes way beyond they say eh a lot more up there. You can see a definite British influence around Toronto or Vancouver - just from the point of views of gardening or gardens alone... Quebec is definitely completely different from the US... our closest French influenced area is New Orleans, and obviously... new Orleans is way different from Quebec in development and where the french ancestry has branched.


Yes, it feels like a completely different world when I'm in Asia or a third world country somewhere... But it also is a completely different world when I'm in the middle of Alabama or West Virginia, or in an inner city Ghetto, or in the hispanic sections of Los Angeles.

I find it much more exotic to leave the country on a vacation - but I also really appreciate the differences within the US ecosystem or people wise...

In Canada and the U.S. really...one doesn't have to travel for kms. to find someone who speaks English, they may not be perfect, but still easily understood. There is always an English language fallback /helpful person around. This alone I distinguish a difference being in any Chinatown, Japantown, etc. in North America vs. being in China or Japan. I also consider the North American history of those ethnic groups different from the original mother country. Even the mother language transferred to North America, takes on new word idioms particular to that immigrant group to reflect their immigrant history/experience. It is for this reason alone, none of us have visited relatives in China when visiting China: cultural and linguistic gap is just too enormous plus there is no pre-history of us as kids establishing any relationship with any relative in China by mail/phone.

Yes, true about the Mennonites who are culturally as well as by religion. Even their German is different. But now we have the Mexican Mennonites settling in farming community in southern Ontario. :)

[Aggie_Ama]

DH and I have the goal to see all 50 states. Sure some aren't that interesting but the US is a HUGE country and I feel a bit annoyed by people who don't try to learn about their country. For me I would love to see every state and every province in Canada. We also want to go out of the country but it does generally require more money and time off. I am not opposed to it but it isn't the most feasible goal.

We have a close friend living in Alaska, so next year we are getting to add a state that is usually very expensive to visit. I have wanted to go to Alaska since I was a kid and having one of our best friends there is just a great excuse!

[Tuckervill]

We were in Montreal a couple weeks ago, just overnight (staying in Vermont).

I was surprised and impressed and grateful to all the people we spoke to. When they said "bon jour" and we said, "Hi", they were almost apologetic that they didn't figure out that we spoke English and not French, and happily repeated everything they'd said in French for us to understand.

I rode for a while with a cyclist in Vermont who said he rode from his home in Middlebury to Montreal and back once a year (150 miles one way). He said the hardest part was trying to find a place to use the bathroom once he entered Quebec. ?? He said the farmers between the border and Montreal tended to speak a dialect of French that even people in Montreal didn't understand. I don't know if that's true, but I thought it was interesting. (By the way, the man was 70 years old.)

Karen

[e.e.cummings]

shootingstar, one of your comments reminded me of a friend of mine who took a cycling trip to Denmark - she came back saying - I could have gotten that landscape in Vermont! It is true, there are places that just look the same.

-We may join friends in Normandy, France next summer (son's best friend, we get along with the parents very well.)
-Dh's best friend is a professor in Calgary, and has a place near Banff - never been, love to go.
-have a friend/colleague in Vancouver - want to go all over again - never been in the summer. She is thinking of renting her place during the Olympics - she wants to get out of Dodge! Hmmmmm....

[shootingstar]

shootingstar, one of your comments reminded me of a friend of mine who took a cycling trip to Denmark - she came back saying - I could have gotten that landscape in Vermont! It is true, there are places that just look the same.

-We may join friends in Normandy, France next summer (son's best friend, we get along with the parents very well.)
-Dh's best friend is a professor in Calgary, and has a place near Banff - never been, love to go.
-have a friend/colleague in Vancouver - want to go all over again - never been in the summer. She is thinking of renting her place during the Olympics - she wants to get out of Dodge! Hmmmmm....

Well, Denmark sounds different enough culturally. My partner has been to Copenhagen twice..with latter trip examining their cycling infrastructure for several days and meeting local cycling advocates. Alot of history there and very different since the city so bike-oriented. So please...I meant sometimes the landscape looks the same....without the local people. :o

I'm telling friends: unless you're actually attending Olympic event, don't bother visiting us during the Olympics. It's going to be mayhem here in Vancouver. 250,000 extra people (than normal) daily in downtown core. :eek::( This includes the media, athletes, visitors, security..

I live very close to one of the Olympic venues downtown plus less than 1 kms. radius from 3 major public park /event areas that will be active from 11 am - 11pm minimum during the whole 2 wks. :eek: These meet areas will have music, crowds, etc. Groan. The city wants to reduce cars into downtown by....35% in total during the Olympics.

Several other TE Vancouver members live not far also from the ..uh..crowded action. Unless they are taking off outside of Vancouver.