Arriving at the airport an hour before another friend of mine I sat down at perhaps what may be considered a front-running contender to Disney as the happiest place on earth. For anyone who is having a bad day or wants a bit of cheering up, all you have to do is go to your nearest airport and wait at the arrivals area when long distance international flights are coming in. It was 9 pm Sunday August 7th at the Calgary Airport and at least 3 large international flights were just arriving from Europe. The arrivals area was as packed as a sardine can near the doors that greeted the new arrivals. Mulling around were families, friends and strangers who were there to welcome people from around the world as well as to welcome people home.
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Spending a couple of days in London with my two oldest boys has been a fun experience. I myself have not spent some time in this historical city since I was a teenager. Arriving at the Heathrow Airport was a simple process and from there we were able to easily connect to the London Tube (Underground Subway).


It took about 40 minutes to get to the centre of London from the airport. Our hotel (Best Western Burns Hotel) was located conveniently about a 2 minute walk from the Earl's Court Station which is also on the same Piccadilly line from the airport. Following the directions provided we were relaxing in our...

I spent a full day with “Mountain Guides” of Iceland exploring the outback of this amazing country. As it was February we also enjoyed an unusual day after a fresh dumping of snow which only added to the adventure (as well as about 1.5 hour to the 9 hour tour). We had been told that Iceland had not received much snow again this winter. Many point the finger at global warming. But the day before we arrived (Feb 2nd) it started to snow and continued for the 4 days I spent on this memorable Northern island. It was my 3rd and final day and I was ready to go exploring.


We were picked up by our...

Iceland – February 1, 2011

Flying into Iceland at 7am from Seattle has been a great stop on the way to Europe! I looked out the window to see a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. I was advised that there had not been any snow until now. That for the past 10 years Iceland's winters have been very mild. But I was happy to see the snow, after all that's how I had envisioned Iceland this Northern island.

Exiting the small airport was a rather simple process that did not take much time at all. Upon exiting I took my bus transfer ticket that I had purchased in advance and provided it to lady manning...

Crystal Cruises


After spending a week on Crystal Cruises I have to say I was impressed. The service was by far superior to that of any cruise I have been on before. From the time we boarded the ship to the day we left I was astounded at the relaxing atmosphere and attention to detail. When boarding the ship I was quickly checked in and in less than 5 minutes had my key card and was ready for my week on the sea. It was obvious that the cruise staff to ship guest ratio is high as there were people everywhere ready to assist and serve the passengers. The ship was spotless and there was never a time when anything seemed to be out of place.


Our itinerary started in Athens and ended in Rome with stops in...