Vienna…very posh!

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DSC03056(This is part of a summer trip report using miles and points to fly first class on Emirates from JFK to Dubai/Paris, costing $41 and 100K Alaska miles; the cost of these flights would have been $23,914! I pinch myself to think I got such an unbelievable value for my miles!)

We used our Eurail pass to travel to Vienna and stayed at the Park Hyatt Vienna, using points, and it was fabulous (my favorite)! The hotel overlooks Am Hof Square and this excellent location is within walking distance of all the sights. The Hyatt was renovated from a 100 year old bank building and opened last year. It’s definitely better than the Hyatt Paris Vendome, in my opinion. As you can see from the photos, it’s an absolutely gorgeous property!DSC03014DSC02989DSC02991DSC02993DSC02994DSC02995DSC02997DSC02998DSC03005DSC03006DSC03007DSC03083DSC03084FullSizeRender (9)IMG_0918FullSizeRender (7)IMG_0908DSC03267DSC03270DSC03269DSC03271

Strolling around one beautiful afternoon, here are some of the sights…DSC03021DSC03029DSC03031DSC03033DSC03034DSC03038DSC03040DSC03041DSC03042DSC03047DSC03049DSC03053DSC03057DSC03061DSC03074
We used our railpass to take a day trip to Melk. We then took a boat ride on the Danube River through the Wachau Valley. We stopped at the little town of Durnstein, where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned in 1192 in the medieval castle that hovers high on the rocky hill above the village. Then it was a bus to Krem, and a train back to Vienna. WHEW! It was a great trip and actually ended up being quite relaxing. Fortunately there is lots of information on the internet about how to arrange all that transportation!DSC03123DSC03122DSC03137DSC03151DSC03158DSC03188DSC03199DSC03201DSC03213DSC03211DSC03219DSC03221DSC03225DSC03233DSC03234DSC03240DSC03253

Every night we ate in the hotel at “The Bank,” the old cashier hall of the building. The food was exquisite and the restaurant had such lovely ambience. One night at the restaurant, we noticed security and found out John Kerry was eating in a back room. We didn’t see him, but I did visit with one of his security men!DSC03088DSC03085DSC03093DSC03095DSC03097DSC03098DSC03104DSC03262DSC03261DSC03266

DSC03102And every morning, we enjoyed the fantastic breakfast buffet!DSC03280DSC03282DSC03283DSC03284

And of course, when in Vienna, you must have music. Since the opera wasn’t performing in July, we went to the Kursalon for a stringed instrument concert. It was wonderful!DSC03110DSC03113
One rainy day we went to Belvedere and Schonbrunn Palaces to see the gardens, and then took the bus to ride the oldest operating ferris wheel, built in 1897. You can even reserve a luxury cabin, complete with a candlelit dinner!DSC03294DSC03306DSC03308DSC03318DSC03320DSC03326DSC03328DSC03338DSC03344DSC03373

DSC03376DSC03392DSC03398Stadtpark and the famous Johann Strauss statute are a must in Vienna, along with other statuary of famous Viennese artists.DSC03341DSC03349DSC03348

I loved Vienna! (:

Next up, Estonia…

Budapest or Pestbuda?!

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(This is part of a summer trip report using miles and points to fly first class on Emirates from JFK to Dubai/Paris, costing $41 and 100K Alaska miles; the cost of these flights would have been $23,914! I pinch myself to think I got such an unbelievable value for my miles!)

Budapest is actually two cities, Buda and Pest, which merged in 1873. They even considered naming it “Pestbuda!” Buda is on the west side of the Danube River, is hilly, and has the best views. People say, “Visit Buda, but stay in Pest,” and that’s what we did. We stayed at the Club Carlson, paying with points, back when you could get the third night free! It wasn’t anything all that special, but it was free! Here are some pictures of our room.DSC02851DSC02850

We headed over to the Buda side to see the Royal Palace, whenI heard this low roar and soon saw airplanes overhead. Unknown to us, it was the weekend of the Red Bull Air Races and it was FANTASTIC to watch! Airplanes would fly around and between the huge pylons in the river and UNDER bridges. I tried to get photos, but it’s impossible to capture it all. There are lots of videos, so look it up!DSC02714

FullSizeRender (5)IMG_0870DSC02786DSC02794DSC02922The Royal Palace complex, built in the mid 13th century, was incredible, made more so by viewing planes racing the course on the river below! Here are some photos…DSC02733DSC02723DSC02722DSC02725DSC02721DSC02711DSC02707

DSC02726As we walked back towards town, these are some of our sights and views…DSC02769DSC02752DSC02750DSC02731

 

One night we went to Margaret Island for an opera in an outdoor venue…all in German, with NO interpretation. It was a beautiful setting, but we left early because we just couldn’t understand it.DSC02856DSC02861DSC02857DSC02863

DSC02866I loved the food in Budapest and we read about this great restaurant, it makes me hungry just to see these pictures! It was some of the most delicious food…DSC02897DSC02898DSC02899DSC02900

One afternoon we walked to Heroe’s Square, laid out in 1896 to mark the thousandth anniversary of Hungary; it’s the largest and most impressive in the city. We happened upon a market…check out the canned goods! And here’s some more city pics…DSC02934DSC02931DSC02911DSC02910DSC02901DSC02914DSC02919DSC02907DSC02882DSC02884

 

DSC02916We stopped at the Great Market Hall, a three story extravaganza of shopping delights, ie, crafts, food, everything imaginable!DSC02834DSC02836DSC02838DSC02839

 
Budapest is known for its’ baths, so we went to one our hotel recommended, and sorry, I don’t have photos. We did the baths and then had a massage, which was so very relaxing (and inexpensive)! Budapest is a large cosmopolitan city, with superb food and I really enjoyed it!

Next up, Vienna and my favorite hotel!

“The Best Perk in Air Travel” – WSJ

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“The Best Perk in Air Travel,” said a headline in the Wall St. Journal on February 4, 2016, and I would have to agree…I love the Southwest Airline companion pass! It’s easy to get; just open a Chase SW credit card for 50K rapid rewards points and a business card for the same. You are on your way to the necessary 110K points needed to score a companion pass!

How does it work anyway? Your designated companion (and it can be changed three times) flies with you, paying only taxes/fees of about $11, for the year you get it and the year following. If you pay with points OR money, you pay no additional points/money for a companion. And I always book (sometimes even speculatively) when SW has sales because that is the best value for your points. Trips booked with points can always be cancelled and the points are immediately back in your account…it’s a win/win!

We went to Nashville for a long weekend, paying 26,821 points and about $22 for our round trip flights. It was the annual SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America) national convention. This organization is based in Kirksville, MO. *

We stayed at the Sheraton Music City Hall, which is bookable with points, but not during this event, when every room is sold months in advance.DSC05333DSC05338

My husband plays music as a hobby and loves to “jam.”** And this was perfect for that! They played music in the lobby, the private rooms, every available space was used for jamming! And it was jam packed, pun intentional!DSC05337DSC05342DSC05374
DSC05341But we did tourist type things in Nashville also. We went to the Opryland Hotel and toured the gardens there. It’s one of the largest hotels in the world, has 17 restaurants, and the gardens are just spectacular…DSC05349DSC05350DSC05352DSC05353DSC05354DSC05359DSC05360DSC05361DSC05364DSC05366
One morning we went to Loveless Café for the fantastic biscuits. It’s on the outskirts of Nashville, but well worth a stop!DSC05378DSC05384DSC05389

Marathon Village is where the Marathon Motor Car was built in the early 1900’s; they built 10,000 a year in 1912, eventually going broke with bad business decisions. It has all kinds of shops, including the American Pickers. And of course, a band was playing!DSC05395DSC05396DSC05405DSC05403DSC05399DSC05413

You can’t go to Nashville without going to a music store, so Carter Vintage Guitars here we come! They had mandolins (my hubby’s instrument) one of which was priced at $190,000! Yes, there really are musical instruments that cost that much – this is Nashville (and they WERE in a glass case)!DSC05418DSC05421DSC05422DSC05429DSC05431

A huge mural on the wall, taken from a photo of Bill Monroe, the “father” of bluegrass music…DSC05426

Downtown beckoned and we hit the main street, stopping by the Ryman Auditorium, where they have the Grand Ole Opry in the winter. It was a great trip, with great music, made more awesome by the Grand Ole Companion Pass!DSC05442DSC05445DSC05450DSC05452DSC05438

And my best companion of all, my sweet husband of 38 years! DSC05371

* It’s pronounced SPIG –MA.
** Jamming is just people getting together to play music, unrehearsed!

Next up, Budapest…

To Do in Doha…

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 (This is a trip report about flying business class, using 135,000 AA miles and paying $43, on Qatar Airlines. We stayed at the St. Regis, using the Citi credit card fourth night free benefit and one night at the Hilton Doubletree booked with points)!
We were busy in Doha and here is our “To Do” list over a period of days! First on the list, shopping in the souk…the fabrics there are simply amazing and SO inexpensive! I went to a variety of shops and bought three different fabrics. The 100% cotton is like silk! I had a pattern of a dress I wanted tailored, ie, a picture from a magazine, so I was thrilled to get some fabric that would work perfect. These souks have everything imaginable, birds, lots of animals for sale, spices, a falconry, definitely not your everyday shopping experience!DSC05083DSC05086DSC05092DSC05070DSC05067DSC05079DSC04960
DSC05071DSC04961We also went to the Villagio Mall, which was beautiful, with gondoliers on a canal, like Venice! Here are some photos…DSC05097DSC05098DSC05099DSC05107DSC05110DSC05117DSC05123DSC05122
That night, we went to an outdoor exhibit at Katara, a park area by the sea, and we saw an Arab man buy this red Ferrari! Money seems to be in abundance over there! Later, we met my son’s friend and ate at an Asian Fusion restaurant at the Four Seasons. The food in Doha is fantastic! Every fancy hotel you can think of is there and they all have four or more restaurants. Here are some pictures of the Four Seasons, we were too busy talking and eating to get any food pictures! DSC05140DSC05150DSC05151DSC05154DSC05155DSC05156DSC05158
 Malls are a big thing in the Middle East, but not particularly a big thing for me, BUT in the name of research, I went to Lagoona Mall, but it wasn’t nearly as spectacular as the Villagio, as you can see…DSC05180DSC05184DSC05186
 One day was just beautiful, so we decided to relax beside the pool. The water was TOO cold for me, but I loved the sunshine in December! I had read about Banana Island, so we made dinner reservations and went there for dinner; it was SO MUCH FOOD and super delicious! (Sorry, I was eating too fast, but I did get one photo)! DSC04891DSC05195DSC05206DSC05233DSC05234DSC05230DSC05219
 My son has a tailor he really likes, but he doesn’t do women’s clothes…we went anyway and he kindly agreed to make my dress from the picture! (I’m a seamstress, but I do need a pattern and I am a bit rusty, so I was thrilled)! The cost? $24! I love the way these tailors keep all their info – the old fashioned way, in a BOOK! We went to the Museum of Islamic Art, and it has a huge collection. It’s worth a visit just the see the building design by architect I.M. Pei. DSC05312DSC05313DSC05259DSC05261DSC05262DSC05278DSC05304DSC05283DSC05297DSC05302
 I wanted to be closer to the airport for an early morning departure, so we moved to the new Hilton Doubletree, paid for by points. Here’s some pictures of the room and the rooftop restaurant, where we went for New Year’s Eve my last night in Doha. It was a great trip and the best part was spending time with my son!  (: DSC05238DSC05241DSC05246DSC05248DSC05249DSC05320DSC05319DSC05317DSC05315DSC05325
Next up, a quick weekend to “Music City,” using one of my favorite travel deals, the Southwest Companion Pass.