Selecting Souvenirs

It’s always difficult selecting which souvenirs to purchase to commemorate your vacation.  I tend to shy away from the kitschy things that really serve no purchase.  Of course that’s hard to do when you’ve got kids who want everything.  A few years ago I decided if I was going to purchase an item to remember a vacation, I was going to buy something, that actually symbolized where I had gone.  Of course there is always the obligatory T-shirt, but I have even limited myself where those are concerned and only buy one if I have really enjoyed where I have been and truly like the shirt.  There is no more settling with something just so I can say I have traveled to that spot.

My husband likes to get glasses or mugs from our travels.  However, we have learned some lessons from those purchases.  We went to the Red Dog Saloon in Juneau, Alaska.  Back in the day you had to check your pistol in order to eat there and Wyatt Earp checked his, but never claimed it.  Surely we had to buy a pint glass to show we have been there.  It’s a great conversation piece.  It’s only been three years since our trip and while we still have the pint glass, it’s no longer a conversation starter, since the image has almost fully washed off the glass.  The same thing happened to a mug from Colorado.  One day when I took it out of the dishwasher, the wording was all smudged and now is completely gone.  My remedy to this problem is now to only buy a glass or mug if the words and image are engraved on the item.  Yes, it’s a bit pricier, but in the long run it’s worth the few extra dollars.

The pictures below aren’t the best, but you can see my point.

 

The Gateway Arch – St. Louis

We made a visit to the Gateway Arch at the end of August.  The weather was relatively decent, if not a bit hot, but such is life.  I really didn’t know much about the Arch itself, except that it was in Missouri, was the Gateway to the West, and you could ride to the top.  There are actually a few interesting tidbits about it that I don’t think are known to most people.  First, it is the tallest manmade monument in the United States.  Second, it’s 630 feet high and at the base it’s 630 feet wide.  And third, it has an extensive museum and information center beneath it.

To get to the museum, which is run by the National Park Service, you enter at the base on either side of the monument.  After passing through a security checkpoint, you are in a large area much like a train station.  From there you can make your way through the Museum of Westward Expansion (free) view a movie on Lewis and Clark (charge) or ride to the top of the Arch (charge).  Since we own the movie on Lewis and Clark, we opted to take a trip to the top.  Get ready to be crammed into a pod built for one that seats five.  And if you are tall, prepare to be hunched over for the four-minute journey.  I honestly thought that during a four-minute ride, there would have been some kind of commentary. (The website states there is a narration, but there was none in our car.)  I also thought there would be a view of the outside.  No.  The only view was of the service stairs inside the Arch.  When you arrive at the top you ascend a flight of stairs to the viewing area.  It is about 50 to 75 feet long and 6 to 8 feet wide.  There are very narrow horizontal windows on each side.  There were people everywhere, so trying to get a look from all the windows so you could see everything was a bit difficult.  And it was quite warm up there.  We lasted about 10 minutes before we were ready head back down. 

Then it was through the lobby and over to the Museum of Westward Expansion.  They say they have “extensive artifacts”, but nothing is identified, so I could not differentiate what was authentic and what was made for the museum.  I would have loved to know more about the covered wagon, as I have ancestors who traveled across the country in the late 1850s and that was their mode of transportation.  The museum also claims to be interactive, but I did not see much of anything that would truly interest children. There was a lot to read, but not a lot to touch.   However, a few NPS employees who had a few child friendly exhibits and there is also the Junior Ranger program.  I did like the fact that there were quotes from Native American leaders, miners, pioneers and others regarding the population of the west. 

While it was nice to go see the Arch and ride to the top and I would definitely recommend the visit, I am a bit disappointed I spent the money on the ride to the top.  If it had been a beautiful day with clear blue skies and not a cloud to be seen, my attitude may have been different.

Other than the Junior Ranger program I did not see much that would interest small children.  Nonetheless, in regards to the museum itself, I see it having a lot of potential.  It was a good day and I wouldn’t say don’t go, but before you do, get the facts.

Mediocre Millennium

We took our first “Groupon Getaway” this weekend and paid a visit to St. Louis, Missouri.  It’s about an 8 hour car ride from where we live, so not too bad for a two night mini-vacation.   We were not able to check-in until 4:00 so we did a little sightseeing.   We made our way over to The Millennium Hotel St. Louis about 4:45, which was good because there was a bit of a line for registration. The website for the hotel describes it as a “charming modern establishment”.  The front desk staff was very pleasant, as were all the bellmen we encountered.   Our room was a “superior king” on the eighth floor.  The view was not of particular importance to us, so it was fine that we just were able to glimpse the “Gateway Arch.”

This is where the end of our pleasant stay at the Millennium began.  While the lobby was up-to-date with a Starbucks Coffee Shop, that’s as far as I would take modern.  Charming does not fit the bill in the least.  The very first thing we noticed upon entering the room was that it had a mild sewer like smell.  Okay, maybe that would dissipate.  The second thing I noticed was the dirty and I mean filthy dirty stained towel in the bathroom.  Maybe housekeeping missed that when cleaning the room from the previous guests.  I tossed it on the floor and told myself to ask for new ones.  The industrial type toilet and a shower and tub, although they were both white, were quite dated, but they looked clean.   We had 6:30 reservations at the hotel’s revolving restaurant “The Top of the Riverfront” for dinner and I needed to get my clothes ironed. Although the website for the hotel states there is an iron and ironing board in every room, ours was missing.  After trying multiple times to call the front desk by pushing the “front desk” button on our room phone, I decided to press “housekeeping.”  I got the hotel operator, who then connected me to the front desk. The same woman who checked us in answered the phone.  I calmly explained that we had dinner reservations and I needed to iron my clothes, but was missing the necessary equipment.  She apologized profusely and promised to get me what I needed, which now included clean towels and a few more pillows. Fortunately, as I said, the restaurant was in our hotel so I wasn’t in danger of being too late.  Meanwhile, my husband had gone to the hotel’s business center to print out the groupon we had forgotten to print at home.   Internet was not complimentary in the business center so he had to use his credit card to gain access.  When that didn’t work he had to go to the front desk for change.  The machine accepted the money and allowed him to log in; the only problem was it didn’t allow him internet access.  When he returned to the front desk, they allowed him to log in on his smart phone and were able to mark the coupon redeemed from there.  Again, the front desk staff was apologetic and refunded the money from the failed internet access.

At 6:25 I had changed my shirt and left on the jeans I had been wearing all day and headed for dinner because I still did not have an iron.  Good thing there wasn’t a dress code.  When we returned from dinner, I had a brand new ironing board – still in the plastic, plus a few more pillows and the towels I had requested.  But no iron.  No big deal, I would go to the front desk in the morning and ask again.

Since we were groupon customers, we had free internet access, although it was hard-wired and also had free parking in the Millennium’s garage across the street from the hotel.  So there were a couple of plusses in the wake of negativity, right?

Saturday we were up and getting ready for a day of sightseeing.  While I was shower I noticed two pubic hairs far up the wall of the shower. Uh, gross.  I know it sounds disgusting, but I left them there.  One, I didn’t want them swirling around my feet and two I wanted to see if housekeeping would get rid of them while making up our room.  I pointed them out to my husband before he showered, so he was aware they were there.  Once we were all set, I made a point to go to the front desk and again spoke with the woman who had originally checked us in.  I told her we had not received an iron and that I really needed one for that night.  Again, she promised she would inform housekeeping of my request.

By 4:30 we were on our way back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  Our reservations were for 6:00, at Ruth’s Chris, about 2 blocks from our hotel.  We got stuck in some horrible traffic, so called the restaurant to tell them we would be late. As it turns out, we were able to get off the highway and make it back to our hotel in time to get ready to make the reservations.  My husband was going to drop me off at the front door, I would run up and quickly iron my clothes and spruce up a bit.  We wouldn’t be late!

Fortunately the iron had been delivered while we were gone.  Unfortunately the iron did not work.  It was one of those that shut off after 15 minutes and had a reset button.  I plugged it in, pushed the reset button, unplugged and pushed the reset button and plugged it back in again.  Nothing!  After multiple attempts I finally connected with the front desk and spoke yet again with the same woman. Does she live there?  Yes, we had received the board, but the iron was broken.  I told her I needed it immediately, stressing the point that we had dinner reservations and were going to be late.  Again the apologies and promise to get me the iron.  Twenty minutes went by and I made another call to the front desk.  I still had no iron and was now officially late for dinner.  After another 10 minutes passed, housekeeping finally delivered a functioning iron and I rushed to get ready.  Finally we made it out the door and were only a half hour late.

Following dinner we walked around the Arch a bit and then headed back to the hotel.  Yes, the sewer smell was still there and so were the pubic hairs, but I had the iron and board.

We had figured out that the sewer smell was coming from the AC unit, so we shut it off thinking it might be better to be warm than sit in a stinky room.  When we went to bed, however, we did have to turn it back on so we would be comfortable.  Anyway, how much do you really smell in your sleep?

Upon we check out, we were never asked anything about our stay, so here it is.  When all is said and done, we had a great time in the St. Louis area and will definitely return.  I do believe we will choose a place to stay other than the Millennium.

This is the modern bathroom in a superior room. Note the towel on the rack.

St. Charles, Missouri

St. Charles

Today, we paid a quick visit to St. Charles, Missouri.   My husband had been there about 10 years ago on a business trip and thought it would be something I would enjoy.  He was right.   Main Street is a fabulous “old town” area, with unique shops and restaurants lining the street for blocks above the Missouri River where Lewis and Clark began their journey in 1808.  Only able to spend about a half hour walking around the old state capital, we found a great wine shop, Little Hills Winery,  that offers three free samples of their Missouri made wine. While I have never been a wine drinker, but I sampled the Sweet Abbie Rose, Concord and Cranberry and enjoyed them all.  I bought a bottle of Concord for me and the Sweet Abbie Rose for a friend who has a daughter called Abigail Rose, although we do call her Abby Rose, too.

Hopefully soon we will be able to pay a longer visit to this quaint section of town, with its cobblestone streets, historic markers and gas street lamps.

Hemingway’s Harry’s

When my husband and I planned to spend a few days in Venice, I looked up everything I could on the City of Bridges.  One thing that caught my eye was Harry’s Bar.  A long time hangout of Ernest Hemingway and home of the Bellini.  I’d never read a Hemingway novel, but that didn’t matter.  At least I had heard of him.  I’d never had or even heard of a Bellini, but it sounded pretty good.  During our second and last day there I kept reminding my husband that we had to find Harry’s!  We studied the map to figure out where we were, but were having trouble locating it, so we asked a street vendor.  As it turns out we were literally right in front of the place.  It’s that small and unnoticeable.  In we went to the tiniest most crowded restaurant I have ever seen.  I noticed a few people sitting at the bar sipping Bellinis and figured they were there for the same reason as I.  The beverage was small and expensive (16.50 Euro), but what the heck, it might be the only time I was in Venice. The drink was small and pretty much flavorless.  It seemed as if one quarter of it was foam.  I was hoping the bartender would put the container in which he mixed it down beside me, like they do when a shake won’t fit in the glass.  That didn’t happen!  After taking a few photos (even though the menu asks you not to out of respect for the other guests), we paid the bill and left Harry’s.  Disappointed.  But hey, at least I can say “I’ve been there.”

Luxembourg – should you bother?

Absolutely!  My husband and I were so very happy with our decision to visit the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg!  Since we only had one full day to visit we tried to cram everything possible into that time.  We traveled in the middle of May and the weather was warm and sunny.  We started our tour at the “Bock Casemates” which were begun in 963 by Count Sigefroi.  In the 19th century, the fortress was dismantled over a 16 year period, however, some still remain and are accessible today.

We had lunch the Urban Bar, which was great, as English is our first (and pretty much only) language and the waitstaff was fluent.  The food was great and reasonably priced and the best part was they had free internet, which is hard to come by in Europe.

After lunch we made our way over to the Place de Armes, where a lone soldier stood guard at the Grand-Duchal Palace.  We had dessert at the Chocolate House, an incredible bakery and chocolatier.  A stop here is a must, even if you just look at the chocolate shoes or the chocolate mice nibbling at the bark candy.  Cake can be had by the slice and many varieties are available!

There are a number of churches through the city that must be visited as well.  The architecture is stunning and the Holy artifacts are wonderful to see.

One of the best and at the same time, saddest places we saw was The Chappelle St. Quirin, which is the oldest place of worship in the city.  It was hard to find, because there is little tourist information about Luxembourg.  It is a small building made of stone, but it is beautiful in its simplicity.  The sad part is that there are bars at the door to prevent access and the inside is dusty and unkempt.  To have such a treasure you would think the people of Luxembourg would demand its upkeep and show it off.

Later in the day, we traveled through the “Valley of the Seven Castles.”  You would expect by the name (at least I did) that you would be on a hill some where and be able to see a valley with seven castles.  That was not the case, but the drive was worth it.  Long, winding, narrow, rural roads wound their way to a series of castles.  We were able to see about four of them.  A few were in various stages of renovations and there was one that was open to the public for tours, but we got there too late.

We spent the night at the Double Tree by Hilton in Luxembourg City and for the price you would think we were staying in a palace.  The price was obscene and the room was in desperate need of renovation.  Also, this was a hotel where breakfast was not included.  The good thing about the room was that it had a refrigerator so if you bought some water or soda from a local store, at least there was a place to keep it cold.

So, when all is said and done, we look forward to being able to return to Luxembourg and see the things we didn’t and hopefully when we return some of the castles under renovation will be open for tours.

The Chappelle St. Quirin