An American’s View of Europe

November 12, 2025 ~ JodiLea ~ Leave a comment

Not ALL Americans, you understand, just this one.

As a first-timer in Britain, I was seeing with my own eyes places I only saw in photos or videos many times before. I knew what to expect, I have seen it all on TV, Movies, and the Internet. Right?

HA! It is not the ‘seeing of things’ that is the big deal. It is the ‘being there’ while you are seeing. You are surrounded by the place, smelling the atmosphere there, hearing the sounds. You are actually a part of things happening there in the present time. MyLastBritishPhoneBooth

As much as I think I know a lot, I was surprised by this feeling. I can only describe it as a “traveler’s high”, which does not describe it very well at all, I know, but I had to call it something.

The ride from the airport in Heathrow, to our hotel, was a British version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride on steroids. This van driver had to be on heavy sedation meds OR he was quite mad. Either way, he was going 80 kilometers an hour in heavy traffic. My heart stopped at least five times. We were seated next to huge windows and were witnesses to the mere centimeters between us and the other vehicles. Not only that, but he seemed to be driving on the right side once in a while, instead of the left side. We were going so fast I could not figure out how the lanes followed the street.

By the time we reached the Conrad London St. James we were exhausted by all the G-force we had to endure to get there. The trip took 47 minutes and 12 seconds. It was a blessing in disguise – we were no longer sleepy with jet-lag, and ready to explore the neighborhood. After many hours on a plane it felt good to stretch our legs. I insisted on a photo with me in the telephone booth. I compromised with my being next to the open door because the competing smells of vomit and urine were awful. Another fantasy smashed.

It was Washington D.C. all over again. My dream of visiting the Smithsonian Museum of American History did not come to be. I found the museum, which was a near miracle, but it was closed for renovation. Closed!?!

Our hotel was right next to Westminster – we were in walking distance to Buckingham Palace. Big Ben loomed in the distance. I was so anxious to see Ben! Unfortunately, the clock face was draped with tarps because of work being done on the clock tower. Not only hidden, but he was also silenced. I did not realize how much I wanted to hear his “bong,” until I started to cry.

We did not explore long because we were tired and hungry. I don’t know if we had a late lunch or an early dinner, but Conrad’s restaurant was lovely. I, of course, had to have the fish & chips. All four of us did.

We could not party all night because we had to get going at oh-dark-thirty to catch the early train to Paris. I was so excited to go to Paris, even just for one day. I think that my daughter’s trip there last summer got me interested in going.

It’s true – the French are rude. What makes their rudeness more annoying is the fact that they are so proud of it. You won’t find many shopkeepers, tour guides, or those who work in the tourist areas rude. But watch out for the average French person.

Getting to France was fun in itself. The hotel learned we were catching the early train to Paris and packed a little breakfast container for each of us. I wish I had taken a picture – they were cute and so yummy!

By the time the train let us off in Paris, I was so excited that I could hardly sit still on the bus to the Eiffel Tower – our first tourist spot. Looking at the ground from the top section was unreal. We were supposed to have lunch there, but alas, the restaurant had been overbooked, so people who spoke no French got cut from their reservations. C’est la vie.

TTFN!

Stay tuned for the Adventures in Central America…

Been Here, Seen This!

September 10, 2024 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

Leakey’s Bookshop, located in the heart of Inverness, Scotland, is a true gem for bibliophiles. Housed in a former 18th-century Gaelic church, this unique bookshop is the largest second-hand bookstore in Scotland.

Established by Charles Leakey in 1979, the shop boasts an extensive collection of over 100,000 books, spanning two floors beneath a striking wood-burning stove that warms the space. The spiral staircase and original architectural features add to the shop’s distinct character, making it a must-visit for anyone exploring Inverness.

I came across this photo and blurb while browsing Facebook this morning. My jaw dropped in disbelief—not that this wonderful library existed, but that I could not prove I was there.

I took photos when I was in the British Isles—obviously not enough. My only defense is that I was so excited to be there (in Europe) that taking photos did not come up very often in my brain. This is a disturbing attribute for a tourist, but it also prevents me from having many pictures/videos of my grandchildren.

Not only was I at this bookstore, but I did not even purchase a book! My BFF would have loved a book from here. Maybe the store was closed at the time of our tour? That would be doubtful.

This is the photo I took in Inverness. Hubby took a couple for me, and sad to say, I spent an entire post griping about him.

I must have my head examined soon.

TTFN

Arriving: Cabo San Lucas

October 11, 2023October 10, 2023 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

The brochures were not lying – the view, the hotel, and the ocean were so stunning that I almost did not believe it would be true. My photography skills are mediocre, so these pix are from the brochure.

Our flights were uneventful, and we arrived at 1:20 pm as scheduled. The airport-to-resort shuttle was waiting to take us to the Zoetry Casa Del Mar. 30 minutes later, we were there.
Check-in was painless, and a hostess showed us to our room. She also showed us another suite upstairs that was like ours but with a different view. We liked the original one best.

A banner across the door said, “Feliz Anniversario,” meaning Happy Anniversary. I got to practice my Spanish with real people – some even understood what I said! A lot of the time, I spoke in vain due to denture lisping and slipping. Spanish AND English were both mangled. My hubby did not understand me half the time, either. I just shut up when I got tired of repeating myself 2 or 3 times.

Communication was not my only challenge. I really needed a straw. Juice glasses had small openings that caused the dentures to float. No straws were available. In fact, a waiter confided that straws had been outlawed in Cabo to protect the sea turtles. You just can’t make this stuff up. One of the customer service staff smuggled 2 straws to me. He did not say where he found them, and I didn’t ask. It was at that moment he became my adopted Grandson. GiBraun. He said it was like LeBron but with a G in front.

I finally figured out how to drink the juice. I stole a wide-mouth glass from a nearby table and transferred it over. It was fabulous! Yogurt, papaya & banana smoothie. Very yummy. Now, I needed to figure out how I could manage to eat in public. I could not order anything from the menu, so I ordered refried beans with cheese. These came in a bowl and were the consistency of soup. I expected pinto beans but got white beans. That was not the issue. I could not eat it using the spoon they served with it. It was the size of a serving spoon. I wish I was exaggerating.

They drink very strong coffee in Mexico. Our room had an automatic expresso machine. After two tiny cups of that, I could not sit still. They must use Mexican Jumping Beans to make it. Once we found out normal coffee was available in the bar at 7:00 am, hubby would go down and fetch us some every morning, and we would sip it while we enjoyed sitting on our veranda, watching the ocean. We read and did sudoku & crossword puzzles. I wrote thoughts in my journal. In less than an hour, we continued our relaxation in the room because the sun began hitting the veranda and warm-up our coffee.

Being treated like a princess reminded me of our “Thrones.” There was this pair of high-backed chairs positioned against the wall between rooms. They were very stiff and formal-looking, not made for comfort. I decided that these were our thrones. I wish I packed my tiara. Hubby humored me and would sit on his throne when I sat on mine. When housekeeping was cleaning our room, we had a place to wait.

To my knowledge, no one else ever sat on our Thrones.

To be continued…