Holland

Sorry folks! Long time, no blog. I Had to take a break, 1) because I've been lazy, 2) I hadn't been anywhere to blog about and, 3) I'm just plain lazy. LOL.

Seriously, I've been quiet until I had new adventures to speak of, and luckily, now I do. I've recently returned from another trip to The Netherlands for my friend Norman's surprise birthday party. His significant other, Yolanda planned and pulled off a transatlantic blow-out that came off without a hitch (mostly).

Considering most of Norman's family, friends and co-workers were coming from Africa, England, Germany, Canada and the USA (Robin, Ian, Michael and me), it was a minor miracle that he didn't find out. Several of us had to hide behind trees because we were all walking up to the venue at the same time. Our taxi driver dropped us off at the wrong entrance, forcing us to waste our lead time trying to find the correct building. We ended up almost walking in with him!

The party was lots of fun! A live band from Suriname (Yolanda's homeland); a DJ; loads of food and some of the best weather we never expected. We arrived April 24th and stayed till the 30th. We packed all kinds of winter gear but hardly needed any of it! Hell, it was colder back here in NY than it was there.

Other than attending the party, (we stayed at Yolanda's townhouse in Den Haag) we visited and ate lots of food with friends and did a bit of shopping in The Hague and in Amsterdam. It was the Queens birthday weekend so, there was a festive atmosphere everywhere: flea markets, carnivals and street parties. The US dollar is not doing so well these days and one euro cost $1.66. Needless to say, I didn't shop too much!

I love how everyone rides their bike everywhere! Men and women in their business suits, high heels, skirts and panty hose (more like opaque stockings or leggings) going to work always blows me away when I see it. Biking is more the norm than driving a car. Instead of parking structures for cars, they have them for bicycles. Bikes as far as the eye can see! It is truly a site to behold. With gas prices the way they are, I dusted the cobwebs off of my own bike when I returned to NY (that's a story for my next posting!)

On our flight over, we met a (cute) guy who plays professional basketball in Germany, travelling to Philadelphia to visit his family. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't allowed to leave the airport. Immigration held him for 5 hours; let him give his gifts to the family; then put his azz right back on a plane back to Europe!

We noticed he was crying on the phone all the way through take off (well after the, "turn off all cell phones and electronics" announcement). Because Robin is a flight attendant, her friends hooked us up with two bottles of champagne and OJ. So, we decided to cheer him up with a few cocktails. He told us his sob story while we all got tipsy. Long story short, he was busted with a joint in 2004, his lawyer "took care" of everything. The charges where supposed to have been expunged and he had been flying back and forth to the U.S. ever since. Unfortunately, on this occasion, immigration flagged him and sent him packing back to Europe, leaving his crying mother at the airport dazed and confused.

Speaking of weed, well not really, but I figured I'd use this opportunity to mention, as of July 1 a cigarette ban will go into effect in The Netherlands. No more smoking (tobacco) in bars and restaurants! This includes the coffee shops where smoking marijuana is legal. Can't mix it with tobacco though! They want to keep their weed pure. LOL!

That's all for now, travel fans! Next up: Thailand and Vietnam in December. And if I'm lucky, a fitness spa (expensive!) in Pennsylvania in August.

Ciao for now!

2007 Year in Review

So far this year, I've only been to my second home in Charlotte, NC and my travel plans for 2008 haven't yet been confirmed. I'm thinking Brazil and Thailand. I'll keep you posted.

Till then, I thought I'd review 2007. It truly was a busy year! It started with Costa Rica in January (see photo). My girl Dee and I went to Tabacon Spa Resort for some rest, relaxation, pampering and zip lining through the rain forest. It was a blast! And of course, we collected a few friends along the way.

In May, I was off to the Czech Republic, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin and Madrid with a friend of a friend. The weather was a bit chilly but we expected that. We did a six hour walking tour of Prague; the baths in Hungary were great; a four hour bike tour of Berlin where the balcony Michael Jackson dangled his son Blanket from was highlighted along with the Berlin Wall. My travel partner Tish and I then parted company for different parts of Spain. She went to Malaga and I went to Madrid to visit a friend that was there on a work project. This was my second trip to Madrid. This time I went to the bullfights. Gruesome! I could see if the matador was in peril but, he never seemed to be in danger at all! Just killing bulls for sport. Didn't seem like a fair fight to me. Oh well, who am I to criticize cultural traditions?

July brought me back to Italy. This time, it was to Perugia for their annual Jazz Festival. I was traveling with friends I met in The Netherlands for the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2004. We've been doing the JF circuit together sporadically, ever since. Highlights of Perugia besides the music and food, were going back to Florence (one of my favorite cities), Norman crashing his car, me renting a five speed auto and having to drive myself, a la The Amazing Race, two hours away to the airport in Rome at 4 in the morning. Cool.

The above mentioned Norman, lives in Cork, Ireland and he and his companion (and my friend) Yolanda, invited me to the annual Guinness Jazz Festival held the last weekend in October. So, I spent Halloween kissing the Blarney Stone!

Although I started the year in Costa Rica, it was their winter so, I didn't get much of a tan. How could I go the whole year without ONE trip to the beach???!! And one day in September at Cocoa Beach in Florida doesn't count! So, it was time to return to Antigua for my Aunt Doris and cousin Stephanie's birthdays for a week in the beginning of December. I tried to cram a years worth of sun into 3 days. Yes, black girls do tan. And they burn too! LOL.

Ciao for now!

My First Post

I'm a gypsy by nature and spirit. If you believe in astrology, the day of my birth, September 24 is "the day of the traveler". So, I guess, I was born into this position.

My first trip on a plane as an "unaccompanied minor" was at age 5, traveling from Los Angeles back home to New Jersey. I've been on the move ever since.

So far, I've been to 23 countries (including the US) - some of them, more than twice. If you count the Caribbean, the number jumps to 38.

This photo of me was taken on my birthday in Morocco, in 2006. What a great trip! Little did I know that 12 hours later, I'd suffer from food poisoning or Kasbah's revenge! I powered through like a warrior and continued to eat because the food was fantastic. Hey, the bright side was, for the next two weeks, at least I wouldn't gain any weight! LOL.

Ciao for now!