Sorry Bob, I corrected it to Buck
Claudia, timing is everything. When we last visited the Tower of London about two years ago, we were there as soon as it opened. We h ended straight to the Jewel house as everyone recommends to beat the crowds, we were the first in there with just a few others following us Before we left to see everything else. We were there for hours but made sure we saw the popular parts first. We went to Kensington Palace too on that trip, also getting there early. We loved Westminster Abbey, not too busy but that was a different trip I think. The key is to get up early and go as Tauck does. Sometimes we are not this disciplined but always make the effort for popular tourist spots.
Some of our favorite wows or surprises are things we have done before our Tauck tour begins when we arrive early.
These three all food related....private cooking class with the chef of the Oberoi in New Delhi.. recommended by dear Joyce recently passed away. Cooking class in Warsaw. Mixology class in Phoenix hotel before I think it was the Canyonlands tour.
Last year in Passau I was a bit in need of alone time. Everyone else went off on the guided tour. I went off on my own. Did a spot of shopping and then found this lovely little church - Stadtpfarrkirche St Paul. Maybe 6 other people in it all just sitting, praying, enjoying the cool quiet silence. I later caught up with the guided group but was so glad to have this quiet moment.
Claudia, I agree with you. Sometimes you just have to get away from the crowd. In my opinion, these "breaks" from the Tour always result in experiencing something unique. Lately I have been reading some of my travel journals from way back, that is when I was more disciplined about writing about my experiences everyday. I am so glad I did that, otherwise I would have forgot all the interesting things I experienced that pictures don't always capture. I was reading this morning from my journal about a little break from the Tauck Scandinavia Tour back in 2005. My husband and I had toured Skansen, an open air living history museum and zoo outside of Stockholm, on our own. We took a ferry back to Gamla Stan (old town) and witnessed a very special event going on. The shipyards were launching a wood ship, The Tre Kronor, a newly built wooden brig. The ship’s construction was in every detail inspired by the trading brigs of the mid 19th-century. Princess Victoria of of Sweden christened the ship with a bottle of champagne. There were thousands of onlookers, a small craft fair and food stalls. There was also a helicopter from the local TV news capturing the event. It was all quite exciting and not something you see every day. After that we went to a local bar to have a couple of Guinness Beers. We always liked to visit the local Irish Pubs wherever we traveled to, as they are great places to talk to locals, eat some good pub grub and listen to some great music.
Gee -- I missed that one! But I was avoiding alcohol on that trip, anyway, to minimize the chance of altitude sickness. It worked -- or maybe it was the pills that I took.
I hate seeing stuff like that (American fast food restaurants). I haven't eaten at one in 40 years. That was one of the few good things about La Paz. Because they threw out all the foreign-owned companies, there are no Mickey D's there. Probably the largest city in the world without one.
I never eat at US fast food restaurants when I travel outside of the US. However, with that being said, I do seem to have a penchant for photographing these fast food restaurants as a subject of interest. This image is a terrible quality picture that was a quick grab shot back in 2003 on a Tauck "Inside Salzburg & Vienna" Tour that was only available for 2 years and never listed again. Too bad, because it was an awesome one week Winter trip that had a wonderful itinerary. Since the image was so long ago and was taken with film media, I snapped a quick pic with my smart phone of the printed photo in my scrapbook. I like the way that you would have never known this was McDonalds except for the discreet sign board showing the Golden Arches.
I have sampled American fast food restaurants a time or two on travel, but never more than once per trip. To some degree, I like to see how it compares to back home. In New Zealand, they added a fried egg onto one of the McDonald's burgers and called in a Kiwi burger.
Wow, now that is an interesting notation about the McDonald's in Israel. This is what I love about taking these pics of McDonald's or other US Fast Food joints. I find them a neat little niche of photography. I am glad I am not the only one who takes these images. Perhaps we need to start another new discussion on posting images and experiences on Fast Food Restaurants around the world. LOL.
Claudia- Please do not put words into my mouth. The only person that I disagreed with was your post. British did not confuse me with Buck, because British clearly states that Buck has been a member since 2018 and that has not posted before. That is certainly not me. Let it go.
I thought I remembered taking a photo of a McDonalds in Shanghai, but it was a Starbucks. Also never eat in a McD but they sure are useful for a peepee stop wherever you are!
Dear Bob, I had put your name in error and changed it when Claudia posted. You can put any word in my mouth and I’ll surely put my foot in it too on this forum from time to time.
Comments
For me, Auschwitz was tougher than Yad Vashem.
Sorry Bob, I corrected it to Buck
Claudia, timing is everything. When we last visited the Tower of London about two years ago, we were there as soon as it opened. We h ended straight to the Jewel house as everyone recommends to beat the crowds, we were the first in there with just a few others following us Before we left to see everything else. We were there for hours but made sure we saw the popular parts first. We went to Kensington Palace too on that trip, also getting there early. We loved Westminster Abbey, not too busy but that was a different trip I think. The key is to get up early and go as Tauck does. Sometimes we are not this disciplined but always make the effort for popular tourist spots.
Some of our favorite wows or surprises are things we have done before our Tauck tour begins when we arrive early.
These three all food related....private cooking class with the chef of the Oberoi in New Delhi.. recommended by dear Joyce recently passed away. Cooking class in Warsaw. Mixology class in Phoenix hotel before I think it was the Canyonlands tour.
Last year in Passau I was a bit in need of alone time. Everyone else went off on the guided tour. I went off on my own. Did a spot of shopping and then found this lovely little church - Stadtpfarrkirche St Paul. Maybe 6 other people in it all just sitting, praying, enjoying the cool quiet silence. I later caught up with the guided group but was so glad to have this quiet moment.
Claudia, I agree with you. Sometimes you just have to get away from the crowd. In my opinion, these "breaks" from the Tour always result in experiencing something unique. Lately I have been reading some of my travel journals from way back, that is when I was more disciplined about writing about my experiences everyday. I am so glad I did that, otherwise I would have forgot all the interesting things I experienced that pictures don't always capture. I was reading this morning from my journal about a little break from the Tauck Scandinavia Tour back in 2005. My husband and I had toured Skansen, an open air living history museum and zoo outside of Stockholm, on our own. We took a ferry back to Gamla Stan (old town) and witnessed a very special event going on. The shipyards were launching a wood ship, The Tre Kronor, a newly built wooden brig. The ship’s construction was in every detail inspired by the trading brigs of the mid 19th-century. Princess Victoria of of Sweden christened the ship with a bottle of champagne. There were thousands of onlookers, a small craft fair and food stalls. There was also a helicopter from the local TV news capturing the event. It was all quite exciting and not something you see every day. After that we went to a local bar to have a couple of Guinness Beers. We always liked to visit the local Irish Pubs wherever we traveled to, as they are great places to talk to locals, eat some good pub grub and listen to some great music.
Travel maven, FYI - There is a good Irish Pub in Cuzco, Peru. Paddy's Irish Pub, near the Cuzco Cathedral.
Gee -- I missed that one! But I was avoiding alcohol on that trip, anyway, to minimize the chance of altitude sickness. It worked -- or maybe it was the pills that I took.
There is a McDonald's there too, right on the Plaza de Armas!
Sam didn't zoom enough- not only McD but a KFC too! I forgot about that until I saw MCD's photo.
AlanS - Is that a Scottish restaurant? In Alice Springs, Australia that restaurant was called the American Embassy. They even had embassy cars.
Also on the Plaza de Armas
I hate seeing stuff like that (American fast food restaurants). I haven't eaten at one in 40 years. That was one of the few good things about La Paz. Because they threw out all the foreign-owned companies, there are no Mickey D's there. Probably the largest city in the world without one.
I never eat at US fast food restaurants when I travel outside of the US. However, with that being said, I do seem to have a penchant for photographing these fast food restaurants as a subject of interest. This image is a terrible quality picture that was a quick grab shot back in 2003 on a Tauck "Inside Salzburg & Vienna" Tour that was only available for 2 years and never listed again. Too bad, because it was an awesome one week Winter trip that had a wonderful itinerary. Since the image was so long ago and was taken with film media, I snapped a quick pic with my smart phone of the printed photo in my scrapbook. I like the way that you would have never known this was McDonalds except for the discreet sign board showing the Golden Arches.
I have sampled American fast food restaurants a time or two on travel, but never more than once per trip. To some degree, I like to see how it compares to back home. In New Zealand, they added a fried egg onto one of the McDonald's burgers and called in a Kiwi burger.
Following the theme, Starbucks and McDonalds (the arches were on the red flag) on the historic Bryggen waterfront in Bergen, Norway:
While we don't eat at McDonald's while traveling, we have found that they are useful for their clean and free rest rooms.
Here's the inside of one in Porto that does not follow the traditional McDonald's style.
And in Israel, you can't get a burger with cheese on it because it's not kosher to mix dairy and meat (per our TD, not personal experience).
Wow, now that is an interesting notation about the McDonald's in Israel. This is what I love about taking these pics of McDonald's or other US Fast Food joints. I find them a neat little niche of photography. I am glad I am not the only one who takes these images. Perhaps we need to start another new discussion on posting images and experiences on Fast Food Restaurants around the world. LOL.
Claudia- Please do not put words into my mouth. The only person that I disagreed with was your post. British did not confuse me with Buck, because British clearly states that Buck has been a member since 2018 and that has not posted before. That is certainly not me. Let it go.
I thought I remembered taking a photo of a McDonalds in Shanghai, but it was a Starbucks. Also never eat in a McD but they sure are useful for a peepee stop wherever you are!
Dear Bob, I had put your name in error and changed it when Claudia posted. You can put any word in my mouth and I’ll surely put my foot in it too on this forum from time to time.
I don't recall which country it is (somewhere in Europe), but Starbucks was a dismal failure there, as the people just didn't like the coffee.
The horse has been beaten to death. Let it Rest In Peace.