AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 1979

To a vast majority of people, whenever Amsterdam is mentioned, reflex questions about the infamous red-light district and cannabis coffee shops are sure to be asked.

So, in answer to the "Did you.... I reply, "No and No" to both.

While some of our fellow student travelers did check out them out, most of us opted for Amsterdam's other venerable sights. Here are some high points:

• The Anne Frank House - located on Prinsengracht. Anne, her family and four others hid from the Nazis during WWII. Walking through the upper floors of the narrow house is a very sobering experience. For anyone who has read her diary, Anne's indomitable spirit and tragic end continues to resonate in that stark hideaway.
• The Canals - Absolutely, take a canal tour. Boats used to be the major means of transport of people and goods. From water level, a canal tour offers a unique and peaceful view of the city. Especially beautiful is the long perspective view of five canal bridges. Each one getting smaller in the distance.
• Rijkmuseum - This national museum contains familiar works by world renown Dutch masters. Words cannot describe what it's like to stand in front of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" or Vermeer's "The Milkmaid." Simply breathtaking!
• Heineken Brauwery Tour -Although it stopped being a working brewery in 1988, it was firing on all cylinders in 1979. For a nominal fee, Janice, Jenny and I got right down on the floor with the gleaming copper vats, traipsed through the fermenting, storage and bottling rooms, then headed upstairs for a company movie and all the beer and cheese we could manage. By 11:00 AM, we were firing on all cylinders.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND 1979

While attending summer classes at Birkbeck University of London in 1979, I took a weekend trip with a group of students to Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.

After being in London for several weeks, the contrast between this bustling, energetic metropolis and that of quaint, historic and slow-paced Edinburgh was pronounced and refreshing.

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It's funny some of the things I still remember as if they happened just yesterday: The rowdy young men from Scotland traveling with us by train. The inebriated older gent who stumbled out of a pub carrying a sack of potatoes. His bag breaking and the spuds rolling in the street. The four of us, laughing while helping him gather his potatoes, only to have them repeatedly fall back out. Browsing the shops along Princes Street, feeling the texture of the tartan and marveling at the endless colors and patterns. St. Leonard's Hall with its turrets and towers. The haggis celebration, the haunting sounds of the Scottish bagpipes. Redheaded men in kilts. The sky the color of lavender. The inspiring scenery. The castle edifice looming over the city and the North Sea off in the distance.
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We stayed in the Pollock Halls of Residence at the foot of Arthur's Seat, the main peak in a group of hills rising above the university. Holyrood Park, less than 1.5 miles, with its golden fountain and Ramsay Memorial, stretches out beneath the enormous castle rock and historical Edinburgh castle (est. 1058). The expansive castle defines the city. We toured the castle and walked The Royal Mile from castle rock to Holyrood Palace.

In the evening, we went to nearby hotel Oratavia for a banquet. There was also a show with Scottish music, dancing, and poetry readings. The haggis was ceremoniously brought out at the conclusion of Robert Burn's passionate "Address to a Haggis." Being a vegetarian, and a rabid Monty Python fan, I thankfully had cause to decline. I quickly whispered to my girlfriend some lines from Monty Python's "Horace" poem and she did likewise.

Not until everyone else had taken a bite did our host recite the indelicate list of ingredients* contained in that boiled sheep's paunch (stomach).

*spices, oatmeal, minced heart, liver, lights (lung).

SIENA, ITALY 2001

Some of the most wonderful places happen to be those that are along the way. On our church pilgrimage to Rome, Siena was one such place.

Traveling by motor coach, we reached Tuscany in the heat of the summer. A very hilly city with brick streets and bustling crowds, Siena is home to the Siena Duomo (cathedral). Its Romanesque facade is stunning. Ornate, gilded and imposing, you feel dwarfed as the high face of the cathedral towers above.

From many corners of the city, the beautiful Tuscan hillside is visible. A short walk from the Duomo, the Piazza del Campo provides a shaded place to rest, eat a gelati and mingle. Like most European cities, Siena has a town square. This square is unique in that it is the site for the annual Palio horse race! When I heard this, I could imagine the horses running over the brick pavers and rounding the curved corners of the walkway. The outer rim of the square did resemble a racetrack.

Our final destination: In the Basilica of San Domenico, we paused to reflect on St. Catherine of Siena. As in all the churches we visited, we lit candles, let the coolness waft over us and offered a prayer.

CANCUN, MEXICO, 2003

Sunny Cancun is situated on the Caribbean Sea on the north-western edge of the Yucatan Peninsula. Our hotel was The Westin Regina Resort on the far end of Punta Nizuc - the hotel farthest away from the populated and partying section of Cancun. It was, after all, a family vacation.

Most of our time was spent relaxing seaside. The ocean, layered in blues and green is gorgeous in Cancun. The hotel’s restaurant was convenient, economical and served both Mexican and American food. We took two excursions.

My daughter and I spent a day touring the Riviera Maya while my husband went deep sea fishing. On his Aqua World charter, he caught several large game fish including two dolphins (but not the Flipper kind). The swordfish trophy fish, however, eluded him.

On our Mayan region tour, we visited a local craft market selling everything from honey to colorful rugs. At Chichen Itza, we had a relaxing lunch at the hotel before touring the grounds. The ruins were stunning in their sophistication and relationship to astrological events. The civilization was so advanced for its time. Some visitors climbed to the top of El Castillo (The Temple of Kukulkan). We climbed about 15 steps, took a picture and called it a day. It was too hot; the steps too steep. Hats off to all who made it to the top of the pyramid’s summit!

Our second excursion, Xel-Ha, was a family affair. We spent hours snorkling in the saltwater Parrot Fish Lagoon. There were thousands of vibrant fish. Later, we grabbed inner tubes and floated down the Chaac Mangroves to the River of Dreams. After lunch, we relaxed in hammocks and watched the dolphins (the Flipper kind) in Launa Delfin. We could have spent another day at Xel-Ha and still not have done everything La Leyenda de una Creacion Magica (The Legend of a Magical Creation) had to offer.

In between tours, we played rousing games of Uno and took the bus to Kukulcan Plaza. Kukulcan is a great shopping district. My husband added a Cancun Harley Davidson t-shirt to his collection. Across from the plaza, my daughter got her hair braided. She went off to band camp happy, tanned and coiffed.

MESA & PHOENIX, ARIZONA, 2008

Sometimes, you're just plain lucky to attend an out-of-town job training class. This past spring, luck would have me in beautiful Arizona.

Although most of the day was spent inside a Hilton hotel training room, there was some down time. One evening, I took a whirlwind tour by car of Phoenix, Scottsdale and the surrounding communities. The native American and southwest motifs (lizards, symbols, etc.) installed alongside the freeway exits, overpasses and sound barriers were a refreshing and aesthetically pleasant surprise.

As we traveled, the mesas hovered in the distance; creating a striking backdrop to the desert landscape. In Scottsdale, my travel companion and I got up close to some gorgeous purple cactus, native plants and a Gambel's quail. Near Mesa, we watched the sun set behind the mesa, turning the sky a soft pink. It was remarkable how quickly the radiant heat dissipated. The desert is an intriguing place.

Other high points: Enjoying early morning continental breakfasts by the hotel pool. Mornings are comfortably warm. Mesa also has terrific shopping and dining. Most establishments are within short walking distance of the Hilton Mesa Pavillion Hotel.

NEW YORK CITY - 1979, 2006, 2007

There's just too much going on in this place to do it justice here. So, I'll settle on the two experiences that will always define NYC for me.


First, 1979: The place was CBGB: a music venue located at 315 Bowery at Bleecher St., Manhattan. CBGB stood for country, blue grass and blues. At the time of our visit, punk was in vogue. I went to see Cleveland's The Dead Boys with two friends from college. Thom was into the Cleveland music scene so he knew about the Boys. Stiv Bators, lead singer and Cheetah Chrome, guitarist, were the band's biggest personalities. I don't recall much about the music. It was loud, there were gestures, some spitting, verbal harassment between the band and the audience. All really pretty lame in the context of punk, especially London punk; but a memorable experience for a couple of green Ohio students. Regrettably, CBGC closed in 2006. The building is still there though with some of the inside graffiti intact.

NYC today: Definitely do a ferry boat tour. You'll pass by the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the famous bridges and Manhattan. There's nothing like the view of NYC from the water, especially in the early morning.

After a tour, head over to Greenwich Village - it is up and coming once again. McSorley's Old Ale House is a quaint, old watering hole ("153 years and ale is well" according to the sign on the window.) See if you can spot Houdini's handcuffs on the bar foot railing (see my Friend's Flickr account for a photo of the handcuffs). The pub has a lot of history and the ale, dark and light, is good especially on a hot summer afternoon.