The "Groupon" Caper

O.K. I will return to unfinished travels later.

I am starting afresh with the arrival of a "Groupon" in my e-mail box. [If you are not familiar with these, just type "groupon" in your search engine and  explore deals for the area of the country or activity you are interested in visiting.]

 David was ready for a trip with Grandma and I was having a difficult time finding anything to meet both our needs.When I travel with my grandchildren, I attempt to focus on an area of interest to them but one I will be able to enjoy with them as well. I had already made two trips to England with grandchildren focusing on Harry Potter and, although the trips were delightful, I did not particularly relish a third.  Among the interests David and I did share, "cooking" rated near the top but, after scouring Internet sites,  I had almost despaired of finding a cooking adventure that would challenge both our skills. Fortunately, even at age 11, he was beyond the beginner stage and was quite adventurous and creative in his kitchen at home.

When the "Groupon" arrived in my inbox, I almost summarily dismissed it. The destination for a cooking course was in Italy. Could it be true? Was it a scam? Would they accept an 11 year old? Could I trust the source? A slew of questions invaded my thoughts and, although I did not delete the e-mail immediately, I did pass it by for more thought. I checked the reviews, the site, the proposed itinerary, and finally questioned my daughter on her view of David's readiness for such an adventure.

About a year earlier, I had asked David where he would like to go IF he could choose. He replied that he would like to "eat spaghetti in Italy."
"Well," I teased, "I can just take you to Olive Garden restaurant and save a lot of money."
When I reminded him of that conversation, he grimaced.
 "So, would you prefer to go to Olive Garden and we can take your brother and mom along, or would you rather go to Italy and make your own pasta?" I asked with a smile.
David is not given to outward bursts of enthusiasm but his big grin made his choice quite clear. All systems, it seemed, were a "go," so I made the commitment. David and I were scheduled to begin our culinary experience on 16 June 2013 when we would be met at the airport in Rome, Italy.

Although the trip was several months away, there was a lot to accomplish. David needed a passport and permission letters for me to take him out of the country.  I required that he do some independent research on the area/s we would visit, make a list of things he would like to see,  and learn something about Italian art and history. He exchanged his ever present novel for a Rick Steves' book on Rome and began to set up an itinerary for us. We would leave a few days early and spend some time in Rome on our own before traveling to Carunchio, Italy. My main tasks were to set up the travel and accommodation for the parts of the trip that were not covered.

Thus we began......

Spain 2012 - Settling In

Preparations for overseas travel begin long before the trip, especially when you are trying to mesh different activities. I thought everything was in place when Emily and I set off for the airport on July 1st. Unfortunately, we did not learn until after we arrived that our flight had been cancelled. Anger and disappointment mixed like oil and water. I didn't know which would win but instinctively knew that yelling and screaming would do no good. Fortunately, we had the option of turning around and going home until the next day. Also, I had planned a few extra days prior to the first event which meant we would still arrive on time.

Note to self: Always allow an extra day or so for unplanned delays. Find a way to check the flight status prior to departure, preferably a day ahead, even when it has been "confirmed" ahead of time.

The flight had been confirmed but then cancelled. The airline called a number (presumably the travel agent which subsequently denied having the message on their machine) and "No other flights " were available. I was geared to be upset with American Airlines but have since been tempered by their adequate service for the rest of the trip.

I had never before been to Spain so I was stumbling around on the Internet to find my way. After booking our flights, the next logical order of business was to find lodging. Lodging was plentiful in our first stop, Madrid, but there were many factors to consider. Price, of course, but even more important was safety. A woman and young girl traveling alone must make some allowances for their perceived vulnerability.

I finally settled on the Mora Hotel (Hostel Mora) which I booked through venere.com. There were a few negative reviews, probably disgruntled Americans who expected everything to be "just like at home" but the positives appeared to outweigh the negatives and the room was easily booked. I provided a credit card number which was not billed until we departed from the hotel. The flight delay had thrown a kink into our plans and I was concerned we would have to pay for a night when we had not been there, but I notified the hotel immediately and they were very accommodating.

Our room was small by American standards but adequate for us and we were out and about almost all day. The building was old but newly refurbished and held the  charm of an olde worlde hotel. We took an elevator to our room on the third floor and were grateful we did not have to walk and carry our luggage up the minuscule stairs. We wondered why there was no electricity when we first arrived in our room. Then we recalled that the room key had to be inserted in the slot by the door to activate everything. 

  A tiny balcony overlooked the busy street below, but the noise and light were blocked from our room by double windows / doors and, with the room fan on, we slept soundly without interference from the outside world.





The hotel was just across the street from the Botanical Gardens and very near El Prado, so we overlooked a nice little park with lovely, warm street lights.

Emily slept for 16 hours after we arrived then I let her choose what she wanted to do on the first day. Of course, the answer was "Go shopping!" 
We quickly learned that "Rebajas" meant "Sales"!

Here I Go Again

Time is fleeting....
I am getting ready for my next big trip and haven't finished writing about the others yet....priorities, priorities....

Have sent my passport to register for a visa and am waiting to receive it back. You never know with the postal service these days.

I attempted to make flight reservation on-line, but it was too involved for the time I had available, so the travel agency did it for me. It certainly saved me time, grief, and stressing out about whether or not I would make connections. The price was not a whole lot more either. I did make my own flight arrangements to the gateway city at less cost and better times. Just hope 2 hours to connect to home from an international flight will be long enough.

Oh, where am I going?
It is a bike (bicycling) and barge along the Mekong Delta in November. Meanwhile, I have to get the bike tuned up so I can get in some practice.

In the meantime, I will be filling in on the rest of my trip to Thailand & China....