Samsung Galaxy S7 - ilivetotravel's travel log

Small European Countries – One Left to Go!

16 May 2017 by Raul 4 Comments

I admit it, I am not ashamed to share it. It is frivolous and perhaps not terribly inspiring. Hopefully, not embarrassing. Or so I tell myself… (Is there a support group, perhaps?) Here it is… I do want to finish the little ones in Europe; the little countries, I mean. I don’t mean “finish them” as in “destroy them” or have them absorbed by a big neighbor (ahem, Germany…). I mean just to see them all. Monaco. San Marino. Malta. Andorra. Luxembourg (OK, not as small, don’t want to hurt its feelings). Vatican City. Liechtenstein.

Before February this year, I had two of those left. And now there is one… Before I reveal the one left behind (you must be DYING to know), in February I visited tiny Liechtenstein. It is as hard to get to it as it is to spell it as it has no major airport. That means, no direct flight from JFK or Hartsfield. For me, it was a flight into Munich, Germany and a 3 hr (or so) drive (an easy one, at that).

Liechtenstein is known for… OK, not much. But perhaps more than anything is because they print beautiful postage stamps. Oh, oh, has someone told them about “email”? “Texting”? “Whatsapp”? Hmm… rough times ahead? Perhaps not. I am sure lots of money is put away there by foreigners and perhaps there are some other reputable industries…

But I surely digress. (Do I? Maybe someone can comment and share the wonderful economic engine in the heart of Europe called Liechtenstein.) Anyway…

We drove in from Germany, trampling into Austria for a little bit before entering Switzerland for an even “littler” bit until we realized we had to pay like $30-40 to get a highway permit to drive in Switzerland (RIP-OFF!). We quickly turned around and drove the two miles back to the Austrian border and (thanks to a smartphone and GPS) found a free route through Austria to Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein for the cost of a handful of extra miles of driving. So, THERE, Switzerland. The oddities of socialist Europe’s highways…

We entered Luxembourg, er, Liechtenstein (who can keep them straight??) after passing through customs (run by Switzerland, actually… another oddity) and made our way to the tiny capital driving through even tinier towns (not really sure if they count as towns or just urban sprawl from Vaduz?).

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I am heeere!

Customs into Switzerland

Not too rural really but not densely populated either. As we got into Vaduz, we saw the castle atop the hill overlooking the town. The high perch location of that castle may help explain why Liechtenstein has survived as its own entity. Or not, but I didn’t really read up on it… I just needed to check it off, you know?

Castle perched right above Vaduz

View of the castle from afar

Anyway, the castle’s vantage point was impressive. We found a road up and there were some nice neighborhoods on the way up – great spot to live with a view of Liechtenstein and Switzerland in the distance (I think Switzerland charges if you even look at their highways; mercifully for Liechtensteiners, I believe there are no highways in sight from the hill where the castle is.)

Houses near the caste location

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Approaching the castle

We stopped intown and walked around the pedestrian commercial street (got our passport stamped at the tourist office) and ended up at a local restaurant. Unfortunately, it was past regular lunch hours so we had to settle for a limited menu. But I had a bowl of goulash that was delicious so I was not complaining! After that, we said our fond goodbyes to Liechtenstein (auf wiedersehen!) and made our way back to Austria for our next and most phenomenal stop of the trip: the Alpine ski town of Lech!

Passport stamp

Pedestrian shopping street at the feet of the castle

Around Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Church and Vaduz City Hall (on the right)

Around Vaduz

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P.S. – Oh, and which is the lil one I have left to visit? ANDORRA! Mental note: I need to check in with my Spanish friends Mariano and Isabel so I can tag along their next New Year’s ski trip from Madrid to Andorra…

Filed Under: Europe, Liechtenstein, Travel Journal Tagged With: Andorra, Europe, foto, Liechtenstein, photo, Samsung Galaxy S7, Switzerland, tiny countries, travel, Vaduz, viaje

Photos of the Week – Sights of Amsterdam

4 May 2017 by Raul 2 Comments

Amsterdam is such a unique city. It is like Venice meets… meets… I am not sure what! It is a charm typical of old cities, of cities by the water, of cities with architecture seen nowhere else, and of cities with a one-of-a-kind type of energy (and I don’t mean that in terms of the red light district!).

I first went to Amsterdam in 1999 when I had business there (most of my time in The Netherlands, though, was actually in The Hague, or Den Haag). I had not returned to Amsterdam since then (except connecting through its wonderful airport) until earlier this year when I overnighted there on my way back home after skiing in Austria.

I took advantage of the limited time to walk out and about at night, and then do a quick morning walk before heading to the airport. Though a short visit, it took me back to 1999 and it made me re-discover why I like the city so much. I wish I had had time to visit the museums I have never gotten to explore (back in 1999, I wasn’t touristing – had no time for that!), and be a little more aimless in the walking around. But, hopefully, I will have another chance! In the meantime, here are some photos from my short visit!

Night photos of Amsterdam

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Notice the not-straight door and windows on the right!

Right outside of the train station

Train station

Royal Palace

Day Photos of Amsterdam

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By the train station – a bunch of bikes!

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Red doorways – cool

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OK, not a photo of Amsterdam but of me leaving it in style!

Filed Under: Europe, Netherlands Tagged With: Amsterdam, architecture, explore, Holanda, Holland, Netherlands, photos, Samsung Galaxy S7, travel

One Spectacular Pool and Great Views in Singapore

15 February 2017 by Raul 6 Comments

As someone who likes to read about travel and far-away places, I come across many places around this planet which I hope to see someday. Sometimes I think I will never get to see places that catch my eye because my imagination fails me: I fail to picture the how and why of me getting to those places. One place caught my eyes for its iconic architecture, the great rooftop views of Singapore it offers during the day and at night, and because of an amazing infinity pool at its “surfboard” rooftop: the Marina Bay Sands. You may have seen this hotel in a magazine or a travel show on TV. You know, the one with three tall towers holding up what looks like a surfboard.

While Singapore seems an interesting place, it is certainly too far from my home to go on a whim just because this hotel caught my eye. But, as things sometimes unfold, what seems a random window of opportunity opened up for me to go to Singapore. If you have been following my recent writings, going with a friend to a wedding in Bali took me to -what to me is- a far corner of the world. The happy couple actually lives in Singapore so the chance to see the Marina Bay Sands Hotel came up.But just seeing it was not enough – I had to stay there: I wanted to enjoy the 57th floor infinity pool! You see, to access the pool you have to be a hotel guest – guest of guests cannot enter the pool area. And so I booked my stay. Sadly, my visit to Singapore was only over two nights and one day (Bangkok and Angkor Wat were also on the itinerary) so I only got to relax poolside one long afternoon. But it was WAY cool and well worth it. The place must have the best nighttime views of Singapore, as well as its daytime views!

We arrived at the hotel at night and we learned the pool was already closed but that certainly was not going to keep me from going up there to see the view! The gentleman had just closed the pool area but was kind enough to let us walk in. Check out the amazing night view!

The next day, when we got to the pool in the early afternoon, the skies were incredibly dark. I expected the storm to come our way and the pool summarily closed. So with no time to waste, I urged my friend Phil to jump in quickly so I could snap his photo and then we would swap places and at least we each would have “the” picture of the city behind the edge of the infinity pool.

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Dark skies! (Me on the right… )

My quick jump in the pool

God smiled upon us. Not only did lightning NOT strike while we were in the pool for the prize-winning photos, but the storms stayed away and we got to enjoy a whole afternoon poolside, even if under a cloud cover. Lunch and drinks were part of the picture as was people watching – and some pretend-jumps off the pool into infinity.

There are a few different seating areas poolside as you may notice in the photos posted here. I enjoyed the pool chairs right at the edge of the pool but you can be further removed from the water action (yea, we got splashed a couple of times by kids playing in the pool but no big deal). These chairs allow you easy in and out or even accessing your stuff without leaving the pool. If you want quiet, there are chairs further removed from the pool.

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Great seating all around

Chill time!

Great place to teach a kid to swim!

One of the many “great” jump-off photos (because no one else thought to take one before)

He was never seen again after this jump-off…

I have to say that those few hours may have been short and the day may not have been picture perfect but I would not trade a minute of enjoying that pool and those views!

Spectacular view of the city

Look at all those ships!

View of old Singapore

View towards the financial district

What to know about the hotel

The hotel is conveniently located across casinos and a luxurious shopping mall, if you are interested in those things. We mainly used that as a walking route to get to the heart of the city when we did not feel like taking a taxi.
A neat pedestrian bridge can be accessed from the shopping center to get to town. It is a little bit of a walk but it offers great views back towards the hotel.
Only hotel guests can enter the pool area; they control access which makes sense as space is limited.
There is a kids’ pool and they will enjoy playing in the water as you enjoy being up there.
There are restaurants and bars up at the top of the hotel and those are accessible to non-guests. It is enjoyable up there. It is a great place to go check out views of Singapore at night!
You can choose city-viewing rooms or sea-viewing rooms (where you can see all the ships going through the straits or going to port). My preferred view was the city but I got to see the other side from the top of the building as you may have noticed in some of the windows posted.

One happy puppy!

I paid for every penny of my stay (no discount or freebie or anything else from the hotel) – I just wanted to share this amazing place!

Save this unique hotel to your travel board!

Filed Under: Asia, Singapore Tagged With: Asia, hotel, infinity pool, luxury, Marina Bay Sands, Samsung Galaxy S7, Singapore, tourism, travel

A Unique Railroad Market in Thailand

1 December 2016 by Raul 2 Comments

As I was researching all that there was to do in Bangkok so I could narrow down the options to fit our time there, a friend who had spent a few weeks in Bangkok recently gave me an excellent pair of recommendations on what to do off-the-beaten path. Liz, my friend, suggested that she put me in touch with a local guide that had taken her outside of Bangkok for a day trip exploring the countryside and a peculiar market. We did not have a whole day to spare so I asked the local guide, Al, if it were possible to shrink the trip to half a day. Thankfully, it was doable despite the 1.5 hr ride each from and to the city. My fellow traveler, Phil, also thought it would be cool to get out of the city so I confirmed with Al that it was a go.

Both of Liz’ recommendations would take us to the Samut Songkhram province, just about southwest of Bangkok towards the sea. And the first of the two items on the agenda was to see the unique railroad market there by the Maeklong train station. We had to be there by a certain time to catch the train passing through the market but it looked like we were going to miss it by like 5-10 minutes; I was bummed but was accepting that it was just going to have to be this way. But, we got lucky! The train actually passed through like 5-10 minutes AFTER we arrived at the market.

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The Maeklong train station at the end of the market

The railroad tracks

Space is at a premium in this market and, as you can see in the pictures, the goods spill over just about to the railroad tracks. Shoppers -and tourists- walk within the railroad tracks to cross the market. The market in this part is a food market: vegetables, fruit, chicken, fish, crabs, etc. abound – and all look pretty darn fresh.

Keep at eye out on the baskets on the right when you watch the video below

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Lots of chicken

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Fresh crab

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Fresh squid

Announcements are made over loudspeakers (in Thai) to warn folks ahead of time that the train is approaching. I was wondering how these folks would clear out quickly; they barely seemed to be moving or noticing that the train was coming except for the folks closing the canopies that provide shade to the market. A couple of items on the ground were moved but most stayed put. I was unclear how well the train would clear the goods, especially the two baskets left between the tracks (you can see what happened in the video clip).

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Clearing the way for the train!

Then the train came. It was crawling as it crossed the market which made sense given the tight quarters around it (also, unbeknownst to me, the train station was at the far end of the market).

The train goes through the market

The slow speed allowed us to enjoy the moment. As soon as the train passed, canopies were opened again and things returned to normal! It was fascinating to see this place – here is a very amateur video showing the scene:

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Yep, it came that close! (Photo courtesy of my fellow traveler Phil I. – I crouched low taking video, he stayed standing for photos!)

What to Know

The train does not come through all the time. We aimed for the 9AM passing of the train; the next train that day was to be sometime around 11AM. I did not have to look up the timetable as we were being taken to see it but be sure you know that day when it will come through.
I would have, with more time, walked around more outside of the part of the market on the tracks. The area looked interesting.
If you plan well, combine doing the railroad market with visiting the Amphawa floating market which only opens certain days of the week. It is one of the more famous floating markets near Bangkok and, from everything I heard, well worth the visit. Unfortunately, we only had a full day to go see the railroad market and it happened to be on a day when the floating market was closed.

Save

Filed Under: Asia, Thailand, Travel Journal Tagged With: Bangkok, market, photo, railroad market, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samut Songkhram, Thailand, travel

In-and-Out: The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO

19 June 2016 by Raul 3 Comments

I headed to Denver to see friends and as luck would have it, an afternoon in Estes Park was in the books for me. I would have about 3 hours to spend in Estes Park so I checked TripAdvisor for some quick ideas on what to see while there. I had driven through Estes Park multiple times a couple of decades ago when I spent two summers in Boulder, Colorado to get to the Rocky Mountain National Park but I had never stopped in Estes Park. I had no memory of it.

So, The Stanley Hotel came up in the search and it offered a 1.5 hour tour. My local friends briefly shared about the hotel so I made up my mind and bought my ticket ($23 since I was not a guest at the hotel) for the 11 AM tour.

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Grand hotel indeed!

I made it with barely a second to spare before the tour began. Scary Mary saw me walk in and asked if I was Mr. Pino. I said yes and immediately asked her if I could run to the restroom – I could not fathom an 1.5 hours waiting to go… (did I share too much?) She allowed the extra minute and I was glad.

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Scary Mary introduces us to the tour

Scary Mary, her self-proclaimed name, was funny and quirky and made for a great tour guide mixing deep knowledge about the place with humor and the dramatic touch when it came time to talk about ghosts and other supernatural stories.

The Shining and The Stanley Hotel

The hotel is more famous not for the quaint story of its birth but because of its ties to the movie “The Shining” with Jack Nicholson.

Art based on The Shining

It seems the hotel was the inspiration Stephen King needed when he stayed at The Stanley back in 1974. The hotel was about to close for the season but King convinced the staff to let him and his wife stay overnight. Maybe they pranked him when they placed him in the haunted room 217… (We also hear Jim Carrey should be asked about his stay in this room…)

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Haunted Room 217

While the hotel was the inspiration for the movie, it was not the actual location where that movie was filmed. Most was filmed in a studio set and exterior shots were done at a lodge near Mt. Hood. Of lesser fame than The Shining, perhaps, is that the hotel was featured in “Dumb and Dumber” – especially a run up its main staircase by the two principal characters of the movie!

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The main staircase

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Looking down the main staircase

A little of the history of the place

The tour begins with the story with how Freelan Oscar “F.O.” Stanley and his wife Flora got to settle there. The Stanleys were an East Coast couple who had taken a trip to Colorado to help F.O. recover his health. He was pretty much almost at the brink of death as he left Denver for a time in the mountains at Estes Park. He made an incredible recovery and proceeded to build the hotel there as a way to have something comparable to the East coast life they were used to when they came out West, a place they had grown to love.

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Registration counter in the lobby with photos of F.O. and Flora (I presume…)

There are a few stories about supernatural events but those are best heard from Scary Mary, not me 🙂 But I will say there is a special force right smack in the middle of this staircase on the 217-side of the building… Some kind of vortex if I understood right.

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The vortex staircase

The Stanley Hotel today

The lobby clearly retains a feel for the past with the heavy woods and furniture arrangements. While the setting of the hotel is spectacular, and the lobby and its spaces feel special, the main guest room floors do feel a bit drab.

Lobby

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Guest room floor

The maze in front of the hotel was an ‘add’ to the grounds after throngs of visitors kept asking about the maze that shows in The Shining. The hotel owners, I suppose, decided to play along and installed one (in its early stages of vegetation growth at the moment…).

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The maze at the front of the hotel

Back to the interior, the hotel has good touches in the decoration using vintage artifacts from an automobile to mirrors, large and small.

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Old fixture for fire hose

The views from the front porch – and I presume, the rooms – are pretty spectacular with the town below and the mountains beyond. A key selling point to the hotel, I am sure!

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Views of the Rockies from the front porch

The bar is pretty cool in its design, decor and feel. There is an outdoor restaurant in the back. I did not get to try neither the food nor the drinks so that may be left to a future visit! I would love to stay there in the dead of winter sometime!