The Adventures of Milo, Lorie, and Brian Groth: Travel

More Champagne Please

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:40:03 GMT

In addition to my own blog entry on our trip to Reims for some champagne, our friends Megan and Alan wrote up their own stories. Check them out:

Dinner and fun in Milan

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:10:09 GMT

Some of the guys from the marketing team in Italy took us out to Martin Pescatore last night, which is a fish restaurant in Milan. We had far too much food (all of it fish-based) and some great white wine to go with it. We also got to try limoncello - I'm not sure if it was homemade or a brand like the one I have pictured here though. This site explains it quite accurately:

Sweet and soothing, potent and relaxing, limoncello is a strong, bright yellow after-dinner liqueur that hails from southern Italy, along the Amalfi Coast and the islands of Capri and Ischia. The ripe full-flavored lemons, found all along the Mediterranean are ideal for crafting this potent nectar. The resulting liqueur is very strong, very sweet, and very satisfying.

And now the fun part.... this morning Lorie and I were locked into our hotel room. I discovered it just as I was heading to the office: the lock was broken and wouldn't unlock. The maintenance guys had to drill the lock out and cut part of the door around the lock. This is at the Sheraton Diana Majestic, which is a nice hotel (with a cool bar), so it was a bit unexpected.

In Milan (Milano)

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 16:06:54 GMT

We arrived this afternoon in Milan and just walked around window shopping, which wasn't smart on my part since I think Lorie saw a few things she will go back to when I am working over the next few days.

We did see a new Fiat 500 (not available in the UK yet) and checked out a big grocery store at the same time as the rest of Milan (it was very crowded). It was interesting to see how the locals shop, which is something we often check out when visiting a new place.

In Madrid

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:38:24 GMT

So far, I haven't seen much of Madrid except for the KIO Towers that are within walking distance of my hotel. There isn't much interesting around it though, unless a bus terminal is exciting.

Tonight, we are going to dinner at Meson Teitu, which is an Asturian restaurant. That's a northern area of Spain that's known for its cider (sidra).

An update from London: Lorie, Cullen, Megan, Daisy, Milo, and I all went to the Telegraph (a pub in Putney) to see my first rugby game on Saturday night. For me, it is like other team sports on TV (I could care less), but it was interesting to see the rugby fans really get excited during the game. Plus I got to learn a little about the game from Cullen and Megan, who both enjoy sports like normal people. Yes, I learned about Rugby from two Americans! Anyway, it was doubly fun because England beat France and now heads to the Rugby World Cup finals.

Places Traveled in One Year

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:03:31 GMT

In October 2006, Lorie, Milo, and I landed in London. One year later, we own a new flat and are still attempting to adjust to the English way of life. OK, we figured out the pub life within minutes, but other than that it is all still quite new to us. Inspired by Alan's map of where he and Megan have been, I created a map of where we have been since arriving here one year ago.

I will updated this map as we go to new places. Up next are Milan, Italy and Madrid, Spain, which we've never been to. See http://maps.live.com/?v=2&cid=817ED2A8693B5FC7!3113&encType=1

Champagne Region of France

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:59:11 GMT

Lorie, Anne, and I just got back from a long weekend in the Champagne region of France and our highlight by far was our tour and tastings at Veuve Clicquot. It was a combination of the fact that we already like the champagne, we were looking forward to it, but also the brand management they have done for over 100 years, the strong female characters associated to the wine, their environmental approach to their business, and their old Roman-era chalk caves where they store much of the champagne. We were able to sample their La Grande Dame (very high end) and their demi-sec (extra sweet) and learned that Lorie and I really liked the sweet one, much like a dessert wine. We of course came home with our fair share of bottles to enjoy later. We also stayed at a great little bed and breakfast, saw a couple of small towns, checked out a couple of other vineyards, and sampled other brands of champagne.... I will explain all of that later after some sleep and catching up with work, and I'll post some photos.

A Night in Paris

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:56:42 GMT

Canal Boats in Yorkshire

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:40:14 GMT

Daisy, Milo, Alan, Megan, Anne, Lorie, and I spent 3 days and 2 nights on the Leicester, which is a 53 foot boat in the Rochdale Canal in West Yorkshire. We started off in the town of Sowerby Bridge, quite enjoyed the little town of Hebden Bridge, and came close to getting to Todmorden. We only got as far as a good biker bar just before Todmorden, which turned out to be fun since we were the token Americans and appeared to be quite the novelty. I'm not sure about other biker bars in England, but this one included someone who had never been outside of the Todmorden area (so she says) and a guy who was swapping names of favorite poets with Anne. He rode a Honda, but would like to have a Harley if he could afford it.

The canal is full of locks that we had to open and close on our own, and the boat is really a very slow moving barge with a big diesel engine. We only made it about 8 or 9 miles down the canal before we had to turn around and get back, so it is about half the speed of a casual walk. Along the canal are old mills, pubs, rolling hills of trees and farms divided by rock-walls, and other barges that people live on.

In Sowerby Bridge, we went through the deepest lock in England, which has a draft of 20 feet, and it was the only one that had someone stationed there to operate it. Otherwise, we were the ones opening and closing the gates and drains to raise and lower the water level in the locks. For the most part, Alan and I were usually driving the boat, Megan and Anne worked the locks, and Lorie was on dog duty to keep the dogs (mostly Daisy) from jumping off the boat or getting too nervous while going through the locks (mostly Milo). Here's a diagram of the interior of our boat - long and skinny.

Update:

Looking forward to some time off

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:51:33 GMT

Later in August we will be in Minnesota at Lake Pickeral (the one in Ottertail County). I am looking forward to the wakeboarding, sailing, kayaking, paddle boat (ooh the excitement!), visiting relatives, riding my recumbent bicycle, and just relaxing. Here is a satellite image of the lake, and a 180 degree view of the lake from my parent's dock:

International London

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 23:01:49 GMT

Tonight proved interesting as I was at a work-related dinner with people from all over the world, then an interesting ride home. The highlights are:

India: Thomas from France explained his experience living in India in the early 1990's when he got cable TV and the cable guys came up dug up the road to lay the cable to his house, only to find out that whatever was on the one (and only) cable channel was whatever the guy at the main cable office was watching. When the cable guy would change channels, everyone with cable would suddenly be watching a new show.
Japan: The guys from Japan explained how stopping traffic to help film some stuff for MTV in Tokyo can get you arrested.
Brazil: Pulling an armed robber out of your father's car in Brazil just isn't that uncommon.
Korea: Having a good time with karaoke in Korea can easily last until dawn, at least for Canadians.
Syria: My taxi driver tonight was from Syria and had been a "diplomat" in the military there for 10 years when they tried to overthrow the government in 1970. That didn't go over so well and he spent 10 years in prison for it. He can no longer go back to Syria, but he does suggest visiting because it is a beautiful country. He's 72 and taught me that Thank You in Arabic is "shockra", although I think I mispronounced it.

This is not a typical evening in Longview, WA!

On another note, Milo's drainage tube is now out, but still has stitches in his chest for another week or so.

London Tourist

Wed, 23 May 2007 21:49:36 GMT

I consider myself a resident tourist in London, meaning that I am a resident here, but also a tourist. But as we have friends and family come to visit, I find myself playing tour guide, which is a great excuse for me to get out and do things I haven't done yet. Here is my suggested list for everyone visiting us in London, which I'm sure I will continue to update over time.

General lists of stuff

TimeOut magazine's "Best of London"
Theatre
Hop-on, hop-off bus tours: The Original Tour and The Big Bus Company

Specific activities and tours

London Bridge Tour: £6, ticket office is at the North West side of the bridge (also called the London Bridge Experience)
Tower Bridge Tour
New London Architecture, including green-architecture
Chelsea Football Stadium Tour: £10: Chelsea FC Megastore / Fulham Road, London SW6: Monday–Friday: 11.00, 13.00 and 15.00 (non match days only)/ Saturday and Sunday: 12.00 and 14.00
Royal Albert Hall backstage tours: Kensington Gore, SW7 / Fri-Tue £7.5 / 020 7838 3105 / 020 7589 3203 / Monday special tours: £12.5
Houses of Parliament: watch laws being made, attend debates and committees, tour the buildings
Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms: 9:30 - 5:00 every day / £11 / King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AQ
Westminster Abby (the big old church)
Flights over London:
- Air Experience: As well as helicopter flights and flying lessons, this company can take you up in a two-person vintage Tiger Moth biplane from locations around London (£169 for 25 minutes). Air Experience (08704 299 325)
- Flying Presents: Operating from Stapleford Flight Centre in Essex, Flying Presents have a range of pleasure tours, but the more adventurous might want to try an acrobatic flight in a Firefly plane (£77 for 20 minutes) or a flying lesson in a Cessna 152 (£135 for one hour). Flying Presents (01708 688 380
- Headcorn Aerodrome: From this base in Ashford, Kent, you can take a range of different length aeroplane flights from £62 for 20 minutes to £186 for one hour. They also offer flight lessons, aerobatic flights and balloon trips. Headcorn Aerodrome (01622 891 158).
- Red Letter Days: This gifts company offers a range of airborne options. A 30-minute helicopter tour of London costs £149, a biplane tour for one and a quarter hours costs £225, and a deluxe champagne flight for two will set you back £299. Red Letter Days (0845 640 8000).

Miscellaneous places and events in London:

Borough Market: Saturdays / near London Bridge Station
Comedy at The Comedy Store: 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE
Abbey Road Studios: (you’ve heard of the Beatles, right?): 3 Abbey Rd, London NW8 9, United Kingdom
In April each year: Gumball 3000 car race for people with too much extra cash
Learn to fight with swords: £5 introduction class
Interesting Movie Theaters:
- Electric Cinema: big leather chairs and drinks are served
- Odeon Leicester Square: Huge screen and good sound

Music

Ain't Nothin' But: Great blues in Soho
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club: 47 Frith Street, W1D 4HT in Soho (I missed the Original Blues Brothers Band when they played here!)
Indigo2 (the smaller club at the O2 arena)
Hammersmith Apollo: Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH (where big names come close to where we live in Fulham)

Pubs, Bars & Restaurants

Tons of Restaurants
- Levant: Middle Eastern restaurant / Jason Court, 76 Wigmore Street, London W1 / Tube Stop: Bond Street
- The Big Chill Bar: they might also have a restaurant / Dray Walk off Brick Lane / London E1 6QL / Liverpool Street Tube Stop (open midday to midnight every day)
- Martini bar: Christopher's / 18 Wellington Street / Covent Garden / WC2E 7DD
- Jamie Oliver restaurant: 15 Westland Place, N1 7LP / Old Street Station tube stop
- Babylon at the Roof Gardens
- The Savoy
- The Butlers Wharf Chophouse
- The Ivy
- OxO Tower (at least for the view)
- The Crazy Bear
- Jenny Lo's Tea House
Great list of pubs at pubs.com
- The Blackfriar pub: 174 Queen Victoria Street, Blackfriars, London, EC4V 4EG / Tube Stop: Blackfriar
- Bank of England pub: 194 Fleet Street, Holborn, London, EC4A 2LT / Tube Stop: Temple / Chancery Lane
- Argyll Arms: 18 Argyll Street / Soho / London / W1F 7TP
- Albert: 52 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, SW1H 0NP
- Harcourt Arms (a Swedish pub) for glogg in the winter and Swedish cider in the summer: 32 Harcourt Street, W1H 4HX

Museums

Greenwich with the The National Maritime Museum, Queen's House and Royal Observatory are open from 10.00 to 17.00, seven days a week
The Science Museum is usually cool
The National Gallery is open until 9pm on Wednesday nights and has a great bar overlooking Trafalgar Square. Go along and enjoy the new ‘Americans in Paris: 1860-1900’ exhibition then get tipsy discussing it. The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2 / 020 7747 2885

Outside of London

Canal boats a few hours North of London: multi-night, slow moving through locks, canals, and rivers
The Cotswolds: With Lacock (The Sign of the Angel inn, Lacock Abbey), Bath (place to stay), Stonehenge Oxford, Yorkshire (place to stay in Yorkshire and a pub) and the Trinity Barn in the Cotswolds
Isle of Sark, which has no cars, requires a flight, a ferry, and a boat ride
Ride in a big, round bubble called Zorb in Dorchester
Bed and Breakfast places in the UK and France
Warwick Castle: with a big trebuchet (catapult) Warwickshire, England, CV34 4QU
Windsor Castle
Indoor skydiving, rock climbing, and skiing at Milton-Keynes

Day Trip to Stonehenge

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:51:18 GMT

We took our first road trip outside of London today (Feb 17, 2007) and went to Stonehenge. It was about a 2 hour drive from our place in Fulham. The stones were placed there about 3500-4500 years ago, so they will probably be repainted soon.

It isn't that exciting of a place, but it is pretty cool to see. Maybe that's because I've heard about it for so long. I uploaded a few other photos from the day too.

Take my skiing poll

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 23:43:56 GMT

On the right-hand side of my web site here (http://grothadventures.spaces.live.com/) I now have a gadget that takes a quick poll. Today I ask which location has the best snow... Colorado, Utah, or The Alps. I grew up on Washington snow, and I do love the "hop turn" in the thick snow, and Montana certainly has some great snow given the right conditions (especially Big Sky), but lets see what the votes say. Post a comment if you think something other than these 3 is the best.

On the road: From Salt Lake City to Chicago

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 03:43:36 GMT

We are in Rawlins, Wyoming tonight (Sunday) and plan to be in Winter Park, Colorado on Monday night, then cruising through Denver over to North Platte, Nebraska. I wouldn't consider most of these stops all that exciting, but at lease we are seeing some parts of the country we hadn't before. Most of the time, many of the small towns (some are basically trailer parks) makes us look forward to London all that much more.

London it is!

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 18:48:45 GMT

Yes, we will soon be visiting London to get an idea of where in the city we will want to live. A few more trips over the summer, and by late summer or early autum, we will be moving to London. The reason for the slowness of our move is because Milo has to wait 6 months to move after he gets certain shots and passes certain tests.

Moving to London, not Paris

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 06:20:13 GMT

Yes, that’s right. We are now going to be moving to London in June or so and not Paris.

Why London? As it turns out, most of the people I will be working with on a regular basis are based in London. I will still need to go to Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, Milan, Madrid, among many other locations, but if I will be spending most of the time in London, then it only makes sense to live there.

Most of the details are the same as I explained when we thought we were moving to Paris.

We plan to live in the city, so we can have the full-on urban experience. Neighborhoods (“neighbourhoods” in the UK) that our friend Cullen suggests are “Chelsea or maybe Notting Hill. Both are pretty artsy, both have a vibrant nightlife, both are pretty safe and sane”. Hopefully the people who will help with our relocation will help find us someplace cool to live that we can also afford. Although afford isn’t really the way to put it…. exist without going flat broke is more like it.

Milo is still going to move with us and Ripley is still going to live in Monroe, WA. We still want you to come and visit. We are still working on the new/unfinished house in Kirkland. Lorie will still be looking at various schools, but now in London. We probably won’t learn as much French though. Now we have to learn how to speak and spell real English, not American.

So wish us luck and please come visit!

CO Backcountry Trip

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:49:12 GMT

My January 2006 ski trip to Colorado started with a half day of skiing at Winter Park, complete with nice, fluffy, and fresh Colorado powder. Keith got me a ticket for free, since his is on the Ski Patrol there, but I earned my ticket this time. Lisl and I put up a fence while skiing (she is an ex-ski patroller) and around noon we were in the ski patrol hut when the call came in that they were closing down the Pioneer Express chair lift due to a mechanical problem. That meant the hill would have to be cleared of skiers, so Lisl and I volunteered to “sweep” with the other ski patrollers. The guy in charge said OK, so Keith, Lisl, and I grabbed a rope on the back of a snow mobile as another patroller drove it across the mountain over to the closed chair. It was a blast getting pulled up and across the hills – sort of like waterskiing. I got to sweep the Gambler and Aces and Eights runs (trail map) and since it was only noon on a Tuesday, I was able to make tracks in fresh snow right in the middle of the runs. It’s the best skiing I have had at Winter Park so far.

The next day, Jeff, Keith, and I drove to Eagle, Colorado, put the skins on our skis, and started our 5 mile hike into the mountains towards the Peter Estin Hut. We started at 9,060 feet and the hut is at 11,200 feet, so we had an elevation change of 2,140 feet, which took us about 4 hours. We only had about 45 minutes of daylight left by the time we got to the hut and we were pretty exhausted, so we unpacked, ate dinner, and relaxed for the evening as the other 4 people staying in the hut arrived from their day of skiing.

In the morning, we woke up to fresh snow, blue sky, with temperatures at about 5-10 degrees (F). We started the day hiking up Prospect mountain (hill?), which is right behind the hut and about 800 feet up (12,000 feet). It was tiring, but the snow was perfect! We skied this part of the hill 3 times during the day: 2 before lunch and 1 after lunch. We probably had enough sunlight for another run, but we were beat, so we called it a day. Three runs in a day might not sound like much, but our “run” consisted of fresh snow on a southwest facing slope, half of which was wide open and half was in the trees, so the entire run was a blast to ski.

The next morning we packed up and headed out. This means we had full packs, minus all the food we had eaten, but more great skiing in store for us. We were able to ski right from the hut down more great open slopes, eventually ending up in a creek bed where we had to hike a little. Thankfully, none of our hiking on this day required the skins, because we were able to hike a bit and get a few good turns in once in a while too. Remember, this is the 5 mile run that we hiked in on, which is a pretty long ski run. We hit one hill side that had about 3 feet of fresh snow on it, but no snow packed under it. We skied it, but I think some of our turns were on top of bushes and rocks, but with fresh snow up to our waist. That made for some tricky skiing with full packs on our backs.

If you plan to go, which I highly recommend, I suggest you train for it by exercising quite a bit so your lungs and legs can handle it. We were able to have a great time, but others in the hut were in better shape than us, so they got an extra run in each day compared to us.

Photos are in the "CO Backcountry Trip" photo album. If the link doesn't work, go to Photos at the top of this web page.

World Trip Experiences

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 06:29:34 GMT

Thoughts about traveling Around-The-World: November 2005

In November 2005, Brian and Lorie circled the world heading West from Seattle via Beijing, Tokyo, Taipei, Dubai, Zurich, Milan, Venice, Frankfurt, Berkley, and ending back home in Seattle. These are their thoughts as they circled the world. (24 days total)

Food

Best meal:

Brian: Swiss chocolates for dinner on the train from Zurich to Milan. Second is the hot chocolate (not chocolate-flavored-milk) in Venice. Second might be the Thai dinner in Taipei – partially because it was really good, but also because nobody would ever find it unless you knew about and you spoke Thai.

Lorie: Grand Hyatt Beijing sweet and sour prawns, room service.

Worst food:

Brian: Some strange bowl for lunch in Beijing with rice burnt to the small pot and unknown and strange-tasting meats mixed in.

Lorie: Coagulated mushroom omelet on a Lufthansa flight.

Weirdest food:

Brian: Avocado milkshake in Dubai.

Lorie: A sip of Brian’s avocado milkshake.

Locations

Favorite city, and why:

Brian: Zurich, Switzerland – clean air, cool vibe, good transportation, water and mountain activities.

Lorie: Zurich is the most pleasant because of the clean air and all the shops in the little streets, but Venice is a close second because of the little streets, lots of shopping, it’s totally unique, and it’s just darn cool.

Place to visit again:

Brian: Zurich in summer for the water and the hiking and in winter for the skiing. Second is Dubai after 2008, which is when much of the construction plus the light-rail train should be running.

Lorie: Totally dude.

Best hotel:

Brian: Central Plaza Hotel in Zurich – location, location, location.

Lorie: Mansions at Roppongi in Tokyo.

Experiences

Most interesting or fun activity:

Brian: “Snow-boarding” down the sand dunes in the deserts of Dubai.

Lorie: Summer Palace and Panda Tour in Beijing. Second is riding in the SUV over and around the sand dunes in the deserts of Dubai.

Something new that was learned:

Brian: Also, white head dresses are from the UAE and red and white checkered head dresses are from Saudi Arabia.

Lorie: Real peanuts exist outside the USA – some are good, some are bad just like when we were kids. Plus, Oolong Tea is from Taipei.

Most interesting space:

Brian: The lounge (Trilogy) on the roof of The Palace in Dubai. Second is the lounge at the top of the Burj al Arab Hotel (only 7-star hotel in the world), which has a great view, cool lights, and hangs 54 floors above the ocean.

Lorie: Trilogy lounge at The Palace in Dubai.

Strangest experience:

Brian: Seeing a ski area inside a mall in the middle of the desert (Ski Dubai).

Lorie: Seeing people in Ski Dubai wearing long coats to cover their burkas.

Global market dominance:

Brian: Kit Kat candy bars can be purchased everywhere.

Lorie: Starbucks.

Biggest mistake:

Brian: Traveling to different climates – it makes packing difficult.

Lorie: Two cheese fondues for lunch, plus bread, salad, wine, and water.

Biggest challenge about traveling the world in one trip:

Brian: Learning 5 different (6 including English) languages enough to say “hello”, “thanks”, “yes”, and “no”.

Lorie: Learning the logistics of air and train routes and time tables.

Missed most from Seattle:

Brian: Milo and Ripley.

Lorie: Ripley and Milo.

Best advice to give:

Brian: Reserve the hotel car from the airport whenever possible and plan to purchase luggage or bring extra luggage to begin with.

Lorie: Always fly business class (upgrade with miles) when possible, book hotels in advance, and always bring scrunchies (to pull hair up).

Packing

Most happy about packing:

Brian: The camera, but the United Red Carpet Lounge card is well worth it, especially when you see the automatic beer-pouring machine in the Tokyo lounge.

Lorie: Tweezers.

Least happy about packing:

Brian: Clothes.

Lorie: Laptop computer.

Wish we had packed:

Brian: Bathing suit for the beaches in Dubai.

Lorie: Hair conditioner.

Tokyo Subway Map

Sat, 05 Nov 2005 23:38:56 GMT

Great map of the Tokyo subway system: http://www.tokyometro.jp/network/pdf/rosen_eng.pdf

Around the World Trip (November 2005)

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 04:12:15 GMT

Beijing, China

Weather: http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/businesstraveler/weather/tenday.html?locid=CHXX0008&from=36hr_fcst10DayLink_business

Lonely Planet Info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/china/beijing/

Wikipedia Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing

Tokyo, Japan

Dinner Saturday Night: Ninja - http://gojapan.about.com/cs/tokyodining/p/restokakaninja.htm.

Weather: http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/businesstraveler/weather/tenday.html?locid=JAXX0085&from=36hr_fcst10DayLink_business

Lonely Planet Info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/japan/tokyo

Wikipedia Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo

Taipei, Taiwan

Weather: http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/businesstraveler/weather/tenday.html?locid=TWXX0021&from=36hr_fcst10DayLink_business

Lonely Planet Info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/asia/taiwan/taipei

Wikipedia Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Surfing on Sand Dunes: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/middle-east/united-arab-emirates/dubai?v=images&a=5

Desert Safari, and then some: http://www.arabian-adventures.com/LeisureTravelVisitors/ToursSafaris/Dubai/Safaris/Index.asp

Weather: http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/businesstraveler/weather/tenday.html?locid=AEXX0004&from=36hr_fcst10DayLink_business

Lonely Planet Info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/middle-east/united-arab-emirates/dubai

Wikipedia Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai

Frankfurt, Germany and maybe Austria and Venice, Italy

Frankfurt Lonely Planet Info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/germany/frankfurt

Frankfurt Wikipedia Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt

Frankfurt Weather: http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/businesstraveler/weather/tenday.html?locid=GMXX0185&from=36hr_fcst10DayLink_business

Austria Lonely Planet Info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/austria

Austria Wikipedia Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria

Austria (Vienna) Weather: http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/businesstraveler/weather/tenday.html?locid=AUXX0025&from=36hr_fcst10DayLink_business

Venice Lonely Planet Info: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/italy/venice

Venice Wikipedia Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

Venice Weather: http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/businesstraveler/weather/tenday.html?locid=ITXX0085&from=36hr_fcst10DayLink_business

Hawaii - May 2005

Fri, 13 May 2005 16:23:46 GMT

We did a lot of relaxing, but also walked around Lahina, the beaches near Black Rock, swam, and snorkled too. We were there for Lori & Alan Shen's wedding, so we also hung out with a few different couples too: eating and drinking and eating some more. We rented a biodiesel VW Golf with some friends, and other friends had a convertable (Pontiac I think), which wsa nice to cruise around in, but the top of my head would get pretty hot. We tried to do the zip lines up in the mountains, but it took a lot longer to get there than we thought, so we missed out - have to try next time.

777 Flight Simulator

Tue, 15 Mar 2005 03:45:14 GMT

For our 5th anniversary, we got to experience a Boeing 777 flight simulator – a 777-200 to be specific. We had Captain Ray Roberts as our instructor, who used to land on aircraft carriers among many other things, which we thankfully didn’t have to (or maybe get to) try. But, here is what we did get to do:

Taxi & Takeoff: Lorie backed up from the gate and taxied around Portland, Oregon’s airport (KPDX), making us all a bit nauseous as she tried to follow the yellow line on the “ground”. Everything you see out the front window of the simulator is really a bunch of computer screens connected together, but after a while, you sort of forget that it’s all fake, even though the graphics aren’t that great. During this time, we got to program the flight plan using the different radio towers on our path, so we programmed in one for Battleground and another for Olympia. Of course, we didn’t end up following our flight plan, but at least we had one.
Flight: Soon enough, Lorie took off aiming right at Mt. Hood in the distance. It was a nice takeoff and we set our headings towards Seattle’s airport (KSEA, aka, Sea-Tac). Part way through this flight, I asked if we can jump ahead in time, so Captain Ray told me what buttons to hit and we moved at double speed (a computer trick, just like changing the weather) for a few minutes until we were getting close to Seattle. Unfortunatly, looking out the window at this time didn’t look like we were flying twice as fast, it’s just that Seattle appeared sooner than it would have. We did see the mountains though: Hood, St. Helens, Rainier, and I think I saw Adams in the distance once too. We also saw where our houseboat would be – there wasn’t enough detail for houses, but Lake Union and the Highway 99 bridge were there. The Space Needle looked a little funny.
Landing: Lorie’s approach to Sea-Tac was a little wobbly, but we did a nice touch-and-go. That means we landed, but as soon as our wheels hit, we went back up. We swung around and Lorie landed it at Boeing Field. During all of this, Captain Ray was teaching us about all of the controls, displays, and the computer systems. There are massive numbers of systems and subsystems and redundant backups of everything, and a few knobs and switches for all of them. And the 777 is the most modern and computerized of them all, which means that it’s probably the easiest to fly!
Emergencies: Then it was my turn. I took off from Boeing Field and after getting the hang of it, we simulated the left engine catching fire. No reason to simulate something minor! So we went through the process of putting out the fire, turning off the engine, and making sure everything else was OK. We did all of this while the auto-pilot was in control and we never really even noticed much change because the auto-pilot can compensate for just about anything. I then got to land back at Boeing Field with only the right engine, since the left one was obviously burnt to a crisp. I was pretty wobbly too, probably worse than Lorie, but I finally got it straightened out and made a great landing without any help from Captain Ray; other than flaps and who knows what buttons he was pressing during and after landing it.
Auto-Pilot: The captain then had Lorie press a few buttons on the simulator computer and we were instantly at 10000 feet flying above Seattle. We then got to see how the auto-pilot could compensate for a pilot not paying attention as we tried to force the plane to stall. So we made the plane almost stall, and watched as it tried to make sounds, shake the controls, flash some lights, and finally give up and self correct the problem. I don’t think it (the auto-pilot) called anyone for a replacement pilot, but I bet it could. There isn’t really just one auto-pilot (no inflatable guy that pops up or anything). There are different auto-things for different systems – not that we really figured them all out, but we sure had fun forcing some things to fail and seeing what would happen.
Weather: Then with a few more clicks by Lorie at the simulator computer, we were instantly flying in the clouds, simulating bad weather. We then completely used the computer to enter the coordinates runway at the airport we were aiming for (KSEA) and a few other details that went over my head. Then, trusting the auto-pilot, we made a perfect landing. We couldn’t even see anything until we were almost touching down on the runway because of the clouds, so it was a good thing that the auto-pilot was in control. We’re pretty sure we’ve been passengers in a plane coming into Seattle in weather like that, so we’ve most likely had the auto-pilot land us before and just didn’t know about it.
Landing & Taxi: After the auto-pilot landing, I got to taxi to the gate. I’m as bad of a driver as Lorie on the ground, but I found it to be much more fun than Lorie. That’s probably because I don’t get motion sickness as easily as Lorie (no, she never got sick). I taxied over to gate N10 and parked it after some weaving around and a rather abrupt stop.

It was a great and very interesting experience, even if we did suffer from information overload since it was nonstop and fast paced learning for about two and a half hours. But, we got to sit in real pilot seats, use real controls (foot, steering, throttles, and a bunch of levers, switches, and buttons), read the different instrument displays, program the coordinates, practice take-offs, landings, flying, emergencies, and even turn on and off the fasten seatbelt sign. However, if you are ever a passenger when Lorie and I are flying, keep your seatbelts fastened tight and remember where those emergency exits are!

Photos are at: http://spaces.msn.com/members/grothadventures/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c01_photoalbum=showdefault&_c=photoalbum (it’s the “777 Flight Simulator” photo album)

MSNBC's 40 Best bargain vacations

Thu, 10 Feb 2005 02:36:06 GMT

Big list of places to try (some not too exciting): MSNBC - 40 Best bargain vacations

Hello from Costa Rica

Mon, 03 Jan 2005 22:01:15 GMT

The entire MSN Spaces is in Spanish right now, since I am in Costa Rica typing on a Windows XP box that is running in Spanish (ES). So what have we done here so far?

Body surf, boogie board, snorkle, sail, swim, see monkeys, birds, and crocodiles, saw a leatherback turtle at about 1am while she laid eggs, zip lines through the jungle (twice) and took a tram ride near the Arenal volcano.

Click on Photos to see some of the highlights.

Paris Photos

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 17:09:44 GMT

I just added some of the photos from our Paris trip, so visit http://spaces.msn.com/members/grothadventures/ to see them.

We are trying to figure out where to keep our online photo album: here in MSN Spaces, or in our MSN Group at http://groups.msn.com/BrianandLorieGroth.

Brian's trip to a wine cellar and some great French wine and food is at: http://blogs.msdn.com/bgroth/archive/2004/12/02/273655.aspx